Priest Acharya Satyendra Das
– Photo: Amar Ujala
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Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Ramlala, says that the Tirupati case is very disappointing. This is a mockery of the faith of Hindus. Tirupati laddus also came to Ayodhya. They were distributed as prasad to the devotees. The case of animal fat being found in Tirupati prasad is very worrying. This has also tarnished the reputation of Tirupati.
This entire matter should be investigated and strict action should be taken against whoever is guilty, be it the administration or the trust. Let us tell you that 3 tons of laddus were sent from Tirupati Venkateshwara temple for the consecration of Ramlala. These were also distributed as prasad to the devotees.
Let us tell you that there is a lot of political rhetoric on this issue. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has made a shocking claim regarding this. He said that animal fat was used to make Tirupati Balaji’s laddu during the previous government run by YSR Congress. However, YSR Congress has denied this statement of Naidu. The party led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has called this allegation of Naidu malicious.
While addressing the NDA Legislature Party meeting on Wednesday, CM Naidu said that during the tenure of the Jagan Reddy government, the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, which is managed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), used animal fat to make laddus.
CM Naidu said, ‘In the last five years, YSR Congress leaders have tarnished the sanctity of Tirumala. They compromised the quality of ‘Annadanam’ (free food). They even contaminated the holy Tirumala laddu by using animal fat instead of ghee. However, we are now using pure ghee. We are trying to protect the sanctity of TTD.’