Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party leaders and cadres across Andhra Pradesh conducted 'forgiveness' rituals on Saturday to 'atone' for the alleged 'sin' committed by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu by casting alleged aspersions on the sanctity of Tirupati laddus (consecrated sweet).
Naidu alleged during a recent National Democratic Allaince legislative party meeting that the erstwhile YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fats for making laddus.
The allegations sparked a massive controversy across the country, hurting the sentiments of crores of Hindus.
Following the nationwide uproar, YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that Naidu was blatantly lying about laddus and said that the alleged sacrilege did not occur at all while the ghee samples sent for testing were drawn under the NDA regime.
Consequently, Reddy called on his party cadres to undertake atonement rituals for undoing the alleged 'sin' committed by Naidu through his allegations.
Senior YSRCP leader and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman B Karunakar Reddy participated in prayers at Gangamma temple at Tatayya Gunta in Tirupati.
Likewise, former irrigation minister Ambati Rambabu offered prayers at Venkateswara Swamy temple in Guntur, among others.
Speaking to a vernacular news channel, YSRCP leader M Sharmila Reddy, said, "Naidu dragged God also into politics and created a big ruckus out of an incident that never happened. I am asking one thing. Who was the chief minister when those ghee consignments (alleged adulterated ghee tankers) came?"
Opposing Naidu's allegations, several YSRCP supporters and activists conducted special poojas (rituals) in Eluru district. -- PTI