New Delhi:

The row over animal fat (allegedly) in ghee used to make the Tirupati laddoos has ramped up after Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan expanded on his ‘sanatan dharm‘ vow to jab (without naming) the DMK’s Udhayanidhi Stalin, his counterpart from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Mr Kalyan’s jab at Mr Stalin was swiftly rebutted, though, with DMK spokesperson Dr Syed Hafeezullah saying his party “does not talk about any religion, or Hinduism in particular” but “will continue to talk against caste atrocities, untouchability, and caste hierarchy”.

Speaking Thursday at the temple town Mr Kalyan described allegations of adulterated ghee in the laddoosas “the tip of the iceberg” of five years of YSR Congress misrule, in which “we don’t know how many crores of rupees they collected (in bribes)”. This must be investigated further, he said.

Mr Kalyan, however, walked back from directly linking or blaming former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, saying, “It is not just about the honourable Chief Minister… never, till today have I pointed to him and said, ‘he is the one… he is the perpetrator’. I am on record. Even now I am not blaming him.”

But while his attack on the YSRCP echoed those by his ally, the ruling TDP, it was his swipe at “a Tamil Nadu leader who says ‘sanatan dharm‘ is like a virus and must be destroyed” that made headlines.

The jab was inarguably directed at Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comment in September last year; Mr Stalin had argued that ‘sanatan dharm‘ against the idea of social justice and compared it to viral diseases like malaria and dengue, declaring “it must be eradicated and not opposed”.

The remark triggered a political row since it came months before a general election; the BJP pounced on Mr Stalin, the DMK, and the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc (of which the Tamil party is a member), accusing them of calling for the ‘genocide’ of ‘sanatan dharm‘ practitioners.

On Thursday Mr Kalyan dug that remark out of cold storage, declaring, in Tamil, “Don’t say ‘sanatan dharm‘ is like a virus and (you) will destroy (it). Whoever said this, let me tell you sir… you cannot wipe out ‘sanatan dharm‘. If anyone tries… then you will be wiped out.”

“I am an unapologetic ‘sanatani‘ Hindu. Let me be very clear,” the Jana Sena Party boss, clad in saffron, thundered at a public rally at the temple town.

The DMK’s response was detailed and quick, calling out both Mr Kalyan and his boss, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, for comments heavily criticised last week by the Supreme Court.

DMK spokesperson Dr Hafeezullah also called Mr Kalyan, Mr Naidu and his TDP, and the BJP, which is an ally to both leaders, as “the real enemies of Hinduism and humanity”.

“DMK does not talk about any religion… it is the people from the BJP, TDP, and Pawan Kalyan who use religion and Hindu gods for political gains. They are the real enemies… this statement (by Mr Kalyan) is an attempt to divert attention from crores affected by their policies.”

“And, as far as the DMK’s stand on caste untouchability goes.. it is similar to that taken by Baba Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule, and Periyar, and other founders of the Dravidian movement. Whoever is promoting it… you can call it anything but DMK will continue to oppose these practices.”

READ | Pawan Kalyan Ends 11-Day Penance At Tirumala Temple

In the aftermath of the laddoos row Mr Kalyan has repeatedly called for a pan-India committee to protect ‘sanatan dharma’ and warned of the ‘desecration of ‘sanathan dharma’ in any form”. Declaring himself deeply offended, he went on a 11-day penance concluding Wednesday at Tirupati.

“Keep Gods Out Of Politics…”

The Supreme Court, he also said, had already criticised Chandrababu Naidu for jumping the gun about allegations of animal fat in Tirupati laddoo ghee; the court last week said religion and politics could not be allowed to mix and took a dim view of Mr Naidu’s comments on this topic.

READ | “Keep Gods Out Of Politics”: Supreme Court On Tirupati Laddoo Row

The court this morning ordered a special team – consisting of two CBI officers, two Andhra Pradesh Police personnel, and a senior official from the centre-run Food Safety and Standards Authority – to investigate the animal fat claims.

READ | “Matter Of Faith”: Top Court Orders Special Probe Into Laddoo Row

A bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan said the court does not want ‘political drama’ on this topic since it represents an important matter of faith for millions of devotees worldwide.

NDTV Explains | How The Laddoos Made And How Ingredients Are Procured

The kitchen at Tirupati makes around three lakh laddoos daily, with around 1,500 kg of ghee and vast amounts of cashew nuts, raisins, cardamoms, gram flour, and sugar used.

Last month the Andhra government red-flagged a July report from a lab in Gujarat that said samples of the the ghee bought from a supplier in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul contained traces of fish oil, beef tallow, and lard, which is a form of pig fat. The lab also added a disclaimer about “false positives”.

With input from agencies

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Hyderabad:

Polina Anjani Konidela, the younger daughter of Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, signed a declaration of her reverence for Tirupati temple’s deity Lord Venkateswara before visiting the temple with her father today.

According to the temple’s rules, non-Hindus and foreigners must sign a declaration of faith in the deity before visiting the temple. Polina is Pawan Kalyan’s daughter from his third marriage to Anna Lezhneva and is an Overseas Citizen of India along with her brother Mark. She signed the declaration forms given by the temple board officials. Since she is a minor, Mr Kalyan signed the papers too.

Aadya, the Jana Sena leader’s daughter from his first marriage to Renu Desai, accompanied him and Polina to the temple.

Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Sri @PawanKalyan‘s younger daughter, Polena Anjani Konidela, has given a declaration for darshan of Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy. She signed the declaration forms given by TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) officials. Since Polena Anjani is a… pic.twitter.com/FLOQv8CpHB

— JanaSena Party (@JanaSenaParty) October 2, 2024

Jana Sena shared visuals of Mr Kalyan and Polena signing the forms.

“Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Sri @PawanKalyan’s younger daughter, Polena Anjani Konidela, has given a declaration for darshan of Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy. She signed the declaration forms given by TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) officials. Since Polena Anjani is a minor, her father, Sri Pawan Kalyan garu, also signed the documents,” the party said in a post on X.

Pawan Kalyan is on a three-day visit to the Tirupati temple as part of an 11-day penance amid the massive political row surrounding the Tirupati laddoo.

Mr Kalyan’s ally and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had alleged that animal fat was used in the preparation of Tirupati laddoos during the YSRCP rule in the state. YSRCP leader and former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has rubbished the allegations.

In the wake of Mr Naidu’s allegations, Mr Kalyan said he felt guilty that he couldn’t find out about the alleged use of animal fat in Tirupati laddoos earlier.

“Tirumala Laddu Prasadam, which is considered to be sacred, has become impure as a result of the depraved tendencies of the past rulers. Not being able to detect this sin in the beginning is a stain on the Hindu race. The moment I came to know that the laddu prasadam contained animal remains, I was shocked. 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,” Kalyan wrote on X.

“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 have decided to do a penance initiation,” he said, announcing that he would visit the Tirupati temple after his penance. 

Amaravati:

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Saturday said he will undertake an 11-day penance to propitiate Lord Venkateswara for the alleged adulteration of animal fats in Tirupati laddus.

The actor-politician said he will begin the ritualistic penance from Sunday at Sri Dasavatara Venkateswara Swamy temple at Namburu in Guntur district.

“After undertaking the 11-day penance, I will visit Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy,” said Mr Kalyan in a post on ‘X’, and appealed to the deity to grant him the power to do the ritualistic sanitisation to undo the alleged sins committed by the erstwhile YSRCP government.

ఏడుకొండలవాడా..! క్షమించు
•11 రోజులపాటు ప్రాయశ్చిత్త దీక్ష
అమృతతుల్యంగా… పరమ పవిత్రంగా భావించే తిరుమల లడ్డు ప్రసాదం- గత పాలకులు వికృత పోకడల ఫలితంగా అపవిత్రమైంది. జంతు అవశేషాలతో మాలిన్యమైంది. విశృంఖల మనస్కులే ఇటువంటి పాపానికి ఒడిగట్టగలరు. ఈ పాపాన్ని ఆదిలోనే పసిగట్టలేకపోవడం…

— Pawan Kalyan (@PawanKalyan) September 21, 2024

Further, the Janasena founder wondered how Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) employees and board members could be oblivious to these alleged irregularities.

TTD is the official custodian of Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati.

During a recent NDA legislative party meeting, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu 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.

Mr Naidu’s allegations sparked a massive public outcry across the country.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)