Tirupati Laddu Row: Andhra Dy CM Pawan Kalyan Undertakes 'Prayaschitta Diksha' Over Prasadam Adulteration
Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM, Pawan Kalyan, will fast for 11 days to atone for not detecting adulteration in Tirumala temple's laddus.
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has said that he will seek atonement for not being able to detect adulteration in laddu prasadam given at Tirumala Tirupati temple. For reparation for the "sin", the Deputy CM will go on an 11-day fast.
He will culminate the "Atonement Initiation" on October 1 and 2 by visiting Tirupati temple to "beg for forgiveness."
"I am deeply hurt on a personal level by the malicious attempts made to infuse impurity in the prasad of Sri Tirupati Balaji Dham, the centre of our culture, faith, belief and devotion, and to tell you the truth, I feel cheated from within," Kalyan said in a post on X.
#WATCH | Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan undertakes an 11-day 'Prayaschitta Diksha' at Sri Dasavatara Venkateswara Swamy Temple, in Guntur, over the alleged adulteration of the Tirumala's Laddu Prasadam.
— ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2024
"I am deeply hurt on a personal level by the malicious attempts made… pic.twitter.com/r7Nm5ysbrW
"Right now, I am taking a vow to seek forgiveness from the Lord and am taking a vow to fast for eleven days. In the latter part of the eleven-day Atonement Initiation, on October 1 and 2, I will go to Tirupati and have a personal darshan of the Lord and beg for forgiveness and then my Atonement Initiation will be completed in front of the Lord," he added.
On Saturday, Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh said that the state government will not spare anyone in the alleged adulteration of the laddus with animal fats.
He also 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.
The Telugu Desam Party leader also said that the lab reports have translated the allegations into facts and noted that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu will take the call on ordering a CBI enquiry into the row.