Jagan Reddy Cancels Tirupati Temple Visit Amid Row Over Animal Fat In Laddoos

Mr Reddy had said he would visit the temple to atone for the "sin" allegedly committed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who has claimed that animal fat was used to make the laddoos which are offered as 'prasad' at the shrine.

YSR Congress president Jagan Mohan Reddy has cancelled his planned visit to the Tirumala temple on Saturday which was meant to atone for the "sin" allegedly committed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who has claimed that animal fat was used to make the famed laddoos which are offered as 'prasad' at the shrine.

Addressing a press conference on Friday afternoon, Mr Reddy said he was denied permission to visit the temple, a charge that has been rubbished by Mr Naidu's TDP.

The decision came amid a political row in the state after the TDP and its ally BJP demanded that Mr Reddy, who is a former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, sign a declaration meant for non-Hindus. The parties have said that according to the rules of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams,  which manages the Tirumala Tirupati temple, foreigners and non-Hindus should declare their reverence for Lord Venkateswara, to whom the temple is dedicated, before visiting the shrine.