Amid the raging controversy over the adulteration of cow ghee used in the preparation of the sacred Tirupati laddu, a fresh political row broke out in Andhra Pradesh over the YSR Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s plan to visit the popular hill shrine and offer prayers.
Jagan, a devout Christian who had visited Tirumala temple several times in the past, is now under fresh attack from the ruling Telugu Desam Party and its ally BJP in the backdrop of recent revelations that adulteration of ghee occurred during the YSRCP rule.
A Tamil Nadu-based private firm, chosen by the previous regime based on the lowest bid in the tendering process, is at the centre of a massive furore following laboratory test reports confirming that ghee supplied by the company contained animal fats including beef tallow, fish oil and lard.
The issue has acquired political overtones with the TDP and BJP leaders demanding that Jagan must declare his faith in the presiding deity Lord Venkateswara before entering the temple.
The former chief minister has announced his plan to visit the shrine on September 28 and offer prayers.
As per the rules, non-Hindu visitors must voluntarily inform the administration about their religion, declare faith in Lord Sri Venkateswara and sign a declaration form, seeking special permission to enter the temple. As Jagan is a Christian, he has to sign the declaration form. There were controversies in the past during YSRCP's tenure between 2019 and 2024 whenever he visited Tirumala temple, as the opposition accused had never signed the declaration form.
Now, the state BJP president and Rajahmundry MP Daggupati Purandeswari demanded that Jagan declare his faith at Alipiri even before he entered Tirumala hill shrine.
Jagan's first visit to Tirumala as chief minister in 2020 to offer silk robes to the presiding deity as part of the annual Brahmotsavams triggered a controversy. It is a tradition for the chief minister to offer silk robes on the Garuda Seva day of the nine-day Brahmotsavams fete at the shrine.
The issue later subsided with the TTD Board exempting chief ministers from signing such a declaration form, and he has since visited the Tirumala temple multiple times.
The situation is dramatically different now in the wake of the adulteration scandal evoking widespread outrage and hurting the sentiments of millions of Hindus. Incidentally, it will also be Jagan's first visit to Tirumala after he lost power in the May assembly elections to the TDP-led NDA alliance. In a statement, Jagan’s office said that he would reach Tirumala on the night of Friday, September 27, and will offer prayers to Lord Venkateswara the following day, September 28, Saturday.
"As per Andhra Pradesh Revenue Endowments rules and the TTD General Regulations rules, non-Hindus must submit a declaration at Vaikuntam queue complex before darshan. Jagan must adhere to it," Purandeswari said.
The chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu too made a similar demand. Taking to twitter, he posted: “He (Jagan) can visit the temple and have a glimpse of the god. But what matters is whether he has faith in Lord Venkateswara or not. If there is belief, non-Hindus should make a declaration as per the laid down tradition. Aren’t you obligated to give a declaration? Why should you go to Tirumala if you don’t respect that tradition?”.
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