The YSR Congress Party, led by former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, which had been on the defensive for the last two weeks over the alleged adulteration of ghee used in the Tirumala laddu during his tenure, received a major relief on Monday following the Supreme Court’s observations criticizing Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on the issue.
Soon after the Supreme Court’s observations were reported in the media, the YSRCP took an aggressive stance and demanded that Naidu issue an unconditional apology for hurting the sentiments of millions of devotees of Lord Venkateshwara.
Senior YSRCP leader and former Endowments Minister Vellampalli Srinivas Rao demanded that Naidu apologize to the devotees of Lord Venkateshwara for his remarks regarding the Tirumala prasadam.
Responding to media queries at the YSR Congress Party central office, Vellampalli stated that Chandrababu’s comments about adulteration in the Tirumala laddu prasadam were rebuked by the Supreme Court.
He pointed out that even the government lawyer representing the case in the Supreme Court clarified that the ghee used was not adulterated, contradicting Chandrababu’s allegations.
Vellampalli added that since Chandrababu made these claims, crores of devotees have been distressed.
He criticized the Chief Minister for making such irresponsible statements without proper evidence.
The Supreme Court also questioned why Chandrababu raised concerns about adulteration without seeking a second opinion, Vellampalli noted.
The court further inquired why the issue was kept confidential from July 23 to September 18 and why there was a need to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Vellampalli expressed confidence that the truth behind the matter would soon come to light and advocated for a judicial inquiry by a Supreme Court judge, which he believed would reveal the complete truth.
