Jagan criticises Pawan Kalyan, Chandrababu over Tirumala controversy

TADEPALLI: YSR Congress Party president and former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy questioned the understanding of Sanatan Dharma by Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, criticising him for allegedly supporting actions that undermine the sanctity of Lord Venkateswara.

During a media interaction at the YSR Congress Party office in Tadepalli, Jagan spoke on the controversy surrounding the adulteration of the Tirumala laddu, amidst which the Supreme Court had called for a special SIT investigation.

Jagan accused Pawan Kalyan of becoming a part of the conspiracy to malign the reputation of Tirumala and criticised his stance as blind justification. He questioned whether blindly defending a mistake constituted Sanatan Dharma. In his remarks, he also criticised Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, accusing him of repeatedly lying about Tirumala without any fear or devotion, and asserted that the Supreme Court had seen through Chandrababu's attempts to provoke religious sentiments.

Jagan further pointed out that the Supreme Court questioned the lack of evidence in Chandrababu's claims and asked how the Chief Minister could make such statements without proof. The Court had also inquired about why a second opinion was not sought by sending the ghee adulteration samples to another lab. He said that the Supreme Court found Chandrababu’s actions to be misleading and had demanded explanations, but Naidu did not seem to care even after such criticism. Jagan insisted that Chandrababu owes an apology to devotees and must seek forgiveness at Tirumala for his actions.

Targeting Pawan Kalyan, Jagan questioned whether the Deputy Chief Minister even understood what Sanatan Dharma represented. He accused Pawan of defending Chandrababu’s actions without recognising the implications of his words. Jagan lashed out, saying that speaking about dharma while failing to prevent visible wrongdoing was hypocritical. He warned that those who invoke Lord Venkateswara improperly will face severe consequences, implying that such actions would lead to divine retribution.

Jagan emphasised that an SIT or any other investigation was unnecessary if no wrong had occurred. He criticised the demand for an inquiry into something that, according to him, did not happen, and expressed anger at repeated false narratives. He reiterated that Lord Venkateswara himself would deal with anyone propagating false information, stating his confidence in divine justice.