Tirupati laddu row: Jagan Mohan Reddy criticises Chandrababu Naidu for "spreading lies"
Oct 04, 2024
Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India], October 4 : YSRCP President Jagan Mohan Reddy, during a press conference on Friday, criticised current CM Chandrababu Naidu over the Tirupati Laddu Prasadam controversy and said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was unnecessary because "nothing wrong" took place.
The former CM said, "Don't play games with Sri Venkateswara. If this continues, there will be consequences. Nothing has happened at TTD; an SIT is not required because nothing wrong occurred there. Chandrababu Naidu fabricated these lies for political gain to divert attention from politics."
During the press conference, Reddy added that the Supreme Court had made serious remarks about Naidu's comments, which hurt Hindu sentiments. He also accused Naidu of using religious issues for political gain.
Reddy noted that the Supreme Court reprimanded Naidu for his comments and stopped the SIT formed by Naidu to investigate the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) laddu controversy, adding that Naidu's comments damaged the sanctity of the prasadam and that the court even questioned the CM's role in the issue.
The former CM emphasized that a proper system has been in place for making prasadam. He explained that tankers used for transporting ingredients go through three quality tests, and any tanker failing even one test is rejected. "Even TTD Executive Officer Shyamala Rao confirmed that adulterated tankers were stopped and not used for making prasadam," he added.
Reddy further stated that even after the Supreme Court order, Naidu continued to spread false information. "The national media has highlighted the Supreme Court's remarks about Chandrababu Naidu politicizing the laddu and God. He is spreading blatant lies. I don't understand why he is posting on social media that the Supreme Court expressed anger toward YSRCP. The tankers were sent back 14 times during their regime (2014 to 2019)," he said.
On September 22, after Rao submitted the reports, Naidu claimed that four adulterated tankers were used in prasadam preparation. The YSRCP chief expressed confusion over why Naidu spread such misinformation. "I don't understand why Chandrababu Naidu is lying about TTD prasadam, which questions the sanctity of the laddu prasadam and hurts sentiments," Reddy said. He also accused Naidu of using this issue to divert attention from his failure to deliver good governance in his first 100 days.
Jagan revealed that the Supreme Court had ordered a CBI-led investigation into the laddu prasadam issue. The team will include officials from the state police and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). However, Reddy criticized Naidu for continuing to spread lies, even after the court's intervention.
Taking a dig at actor-politician Pawan Kalyan, Jagan questioned why he was supporting Naidu's false propaganda. "Does Pawan Kalyan understand Sanatana Dharma? As a member of the NDA coalition, he should be aware that Chandrababu Naidu's comments on the laddu prasadam issue hurt the sentiments of Hindus by spreading false news that questions the sanctity of TTD. Why hasn't he questioned these lies? I don't understand why he is supporting the false propaganda used for political diversion. He should know the facts," Jagan said.
