Tirupati laddu row: ‘Feeling guilty’, says Pawan Kalyan; to go on 11-day penance

Adding more drama to the controversy around the alleged use of animal fat in Tirupati temple’s ‘laddu’ offering, Andhra Pradesh DeputyChief Minister Pawan Kalyan has said that he will undertake an 11-day penance, starting Sunday (September 22), to propitiate Lord Venkateswara for the alleged adulteration.

‘Penance’ at Namburu temple

The actor-politician said he will begin the ritualistic penance from Sunday at Sri Dasavatara Venkateswara Swamy temple at Namburu in Guntur district.

"After undertaking the 11-day penance, I will visit Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy," Kalyan said in a post on X, and appealed to the deity to grant him the power to do the ritualistic sanitisation to undo the alleged sins committed by the erstwhile YSRCP government.

Swipe at TTD management

In his post, the actor turned politician, also took a dig at the administration of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), wondering how they remained oblivious to the alleged irregularities.

TTD is the official custodian of Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati.

“Only open minds can succumb to such sin. Not being able to detect this sin in the beginning is a stain on the Hindu race,” the Janasena founder said.

“My pain is that even the board members and employees who are a part of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam system are not able to find out the mistakes there, even if they find out, they don't talk about it. It seems that they were afraid of the demonic rulers of that time,” he said.

‘My mind was broken’

Kalyan said that he himself felt a stab of guilt the moment he learnt about the alleged adulteration.

“The moment I came to know that the laddu prasadam contained animal remains, my mind was broken. Feeling guilty. As I am fighting for the welfare of the people, it hurts me that such trouble did not come to my attention in the beginning. Everyone who believes in Sanatana Dharma should atone for this terrible injustice done to Balaji, the god of Kali Yuga,” he said.

‘Blasphemous act’

The Janasena leader also lashed out at the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government, accusing it of committing an act of “blasphemy” while dispensing its religious duties towards Tirumala and hurting followers of Hindu religion in the process.

During a recent NDA legislative party meeting, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fats for making the popular Tirupati laddus, known for their unique taste.

Naidu's allegations sparked a massive public outcry across the country.