Tirupati Laddus Row: Jagadguru Shankaracharya Pragyananand Saraswati Maharaj on Friday demanded severe punishment for YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and that the former Andhra CM be handed over to the public for insulting the beliefs of Hindus and assaulting the Sanatan Dharma.This comes after the ruling Telugu Desam Party claimed on September 19 that a lab report confirmed the presence of “beef tallow” and “lard” in the ghee used in the preparation of the world-famous Tirupati laddus.
Shankaracharya spoke to ABP News over the controversy and expressed anger over the alleged discovery of animal fat in 'prasadam'. He lashed out at the accused administration and called it an insult to Hindu beliefs. He said that the act was an attempt to destroy the Sanatan Dharma and an assault on its dignity.
The row over the Tirupati laddus intensified after TDP presented a purported lab report, showing that “beef tallow, animal fat – lard, and fish oil were used in the preparation of ghee supplied to Tirumala”.
'Conspiracy To Destroy Sanatan Dharma'
Calling it a conspiracy to destroy the Sanatan, he said that the offering is not just food but ‘prasadam’ consumed by millions who visit the shrine to worship Lord Ram Lalla. He questioned how the ‘prasadam’ would remain pure if it was made using beef tallow.
The religious guru further lashed out at Jagan Mohan Reddy saying that he is working for Christianity through his misconduct and should be handed over to the public. He also alleged that his actions were influenced by Congress leaders Rahul and Sonia Gandhi and demanded punishment for all of them.
The Dwarka Sharda Peeth guru alleged the involvement of an Islamic system influenced by Bangladesh and Christian forces conducting religious conversions in the country. He added that the Hindu stakeholders should have opposed when a Christian was appointed as the the president of the Tirumala temple.
Shankaracharya further said that it was time to free temples from government control. He also said that if necessary, arms would be taken up to protect the Sanatan Dharma.
The religious leader also demanded that a Sanatan board must be established and all the temples should be brought under its jurisdiction. The government should stay away from temples and those who follow Vedic religion should be allowed to manage temples, he said. Furthermore, he also suggested that a board should be formed to protect the Sanatan Dharma.
He also stated that the temple should be purified and all the employees, priests, and officials should be removed from the temple.
Sentiments Of Millions Of Hindus Hurt: BJP
BJP leader and former member of the Rajya Sabha GVL Narsimha Rao expressed shock over the alleged discovery of animal fat in the ghee sample.
Calling it sinful, he said that it was not just a case of adulteration but the sentiments of millions of Hindus who are tied to that temple were hurt. He further demanded a high-level investigation and severe punishment for the guilty.
"Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu has made a revelation that there has been adulteration in the Prasadam of Tirupati temple. This is not an issue of accusation but has been revealed from a test report...The faith of all the devotees has been hurt. We want action should be taken against those responsible for this," he said.
Previously, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had alleged the previous Reddy-led YSRCP government over the usage of “animal fat” in the laddus offered at Tirupati shrine.