Jagan slams TDP, BJP; postpones Tirumala visit amid demands for his faith declaration at hill shrine

Amaravati, Sep 27 (PTI) Opposition YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday said he has indefinitely postponed his planned trip to the Tirupati Lord Venkateshwara Temple, amid the growing demand by NDA allies in Andhra Pradesh to declare his faith before entering the shrine.

His much hyped Tirumala tour was announced as part of the YSRCP’s call for prayers in temples to atone for TDP supremo and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s ‘sin’ through his allegations on the quality of Tirupati laddus.

Addressing a press conference Jagan said he could not go to Tirupati as his party leaders and workers were issued notices by police warning them not to participate in his temple visit.

Hours before Jagan’s tour, Naidu appealed that every visitor to deity Sri Venkateswara Swamy must follow the rules and refrain from hurting devotees’ sentiments.

According to rules, foreigners and non-Hindus should declare their reverence for Lord Venkateswara to have a darshan of the presiding deity at the hill shrine.

Dubbing Chandrababu Naidu’s rule as “Rakshasa Rajyam” (kingdom of demons), Jagan also attacked BJP for turning a blind eye on the laddu issue.

He reiterated that the ghee which was rejected by the TTD on the account of quality issues was never used in making the Laddu Prasadam (consecrated food, sweet in this case).

“On one side, all our people are being issued notices threatening that they (police) will file cases. On the other side they are bringing BJP people from the neighbouring state to create a law and order problem and a religious issue to cover up Chandrababu’s misdeed,” he said.

“As a person who respects and loves Venkateswara Swamy, I do not want to go there and divert the topic. So I am postponing my tour,” he said without announcing any fresh date of visit.

Earlier, sources close to the leader had said he has cancelled his scheduled Tirumala temple plan.

Reddy said everyone in the country knows his religion and he has visited Tirumala temple several times even before becoming the CM.

He said though he reads the Bible within four walls, he respects Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism.

TV channels were showing that thousands of police personnel were deployed in Tirupati to prevent his leaders from going to the temple.

“In order to divert the failures of his (Chandrababu Naidu) 100 days rule and to divert attention, Chandrababu Naidu brought up the Laddu issue. To cover up his failures on the Laddu issue, he came up with the faith declaration issue. He intentionally planted seeds of doubts on the Laddu quality,” Reddy said.

“I had the opportunity to offer silk robes to Lord Venkateswara Swamy for five years (while as CM). I can understand it. It is not my first time (Tirumala visit),” he said.

Naidu had last week alleged the use of substandard ghee and presence of animal fat in the famous Tirupati laddus during the previous YSRCP regime.

According to the itinerary of Reddy’s two-day visit to Tirumala, the former CM was supposed to depart from Gannavaram Airport for Renigunta at 4 pm today and from there (Renigunta), to Tirumala and visit the temple on Saturday morning.

NDA constituents–ruling TDP and the BJP have been raising the faith declaration issue, vis-a-vis Jagan over the past two days.