Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Tuesday said that the Supreme Court never said that the prasadam at the Tirupati temple was not adulterated. His remarks came a day after the Supreme Court pulled up Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for going public with allegations about Tirupati laddus.
Kalyan emphasised that his government would probe the violations that took place during the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) regime.
In a statement, the Deputy Chief Minister clarified the Supreme Court's position, noting that the judges did not explicitly say the laddus were "unadulterated." Instead, they highlighted some "confusion regarding the date," which will be addressed.
"Our government will take forward the kind of violations that happened in the last 5 years," Kalyan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI, adding that the issue extends beyond just the "Prasad" controversy.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday questioned Chandrababu Naidu for levelling public allegations about the use of animal fats in the preparation of the Tirupati laddus.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan slammed the Chief Minister, stating that there is no conclusive evidence that supports the claim that the ghee used in preparations of the prasadam laddus was contaminated.
"We are prima facie of the view that when the investigation was under process, it was not appropriate for the high constitutional authority to make a statement that could affect the sentiments of crores of people. In that view of the matter, we find that it would be appropriate if the Solicitor General assisted us on whether the SIT by the state should continue or the investigation should be by an independent agency," said the bench.
The controversy came under the spotlight after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged earlier that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were found in the laddoos served as prasad at Tirupati temple during the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy's government.
Citing a private lab report from Gujarat, Naidu claimed the presence of "beef tallow," "lard" (relating to pig fat) and fish oil in the ghee.
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