Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan is undertaking a 1-day fast seeking atonement for alleged adulteration in the laddu offered at Tirupati Venkateshwara temple. Kalyan said he personally felt hurt and cheated over the row.
“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. As part of that, I decided to do a penance initiation,” Kalyan tweeted.
Kalyan blamed the previous regime for the alleged adulteration in Tirupati laddu. The deputy CM started his fasting from Dashavatara Venkateswara Swamy Temple, Nambur, Guntur District. The actor-politician said he would be visiting the Tirupati temple at the end of fasting and “beg for forgiveness”.
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Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said he would consult pontiffs, sages, priests and other top Hinduism experts on the future course of action to be taken and how samprokshana (ritualistic sanitisation) should be done.
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar said the government should investigate the purity of products like ghee and the adulterators must not be spared. He urged that temples must be managed under the supervision of saints, swamis and spiritual leaders. “We need to have a committee of spiritual leader, both north and south, they should oversee. Let there be a person from the government side as well but he has to be playing a minor role,” ANI quoted him saying.