Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, who has been championing the Tirupati laddoo issue and positioning himself as a protector of the Sanatana dharma, is on a three-hour footmarch to Tirumala as part of his 11-day penance. He had started the penance to appease Lord Venkateswara for the alleged adulteration of "laddoos" with animal fat.
The Deputy Chief Minister has reached Tirupati and took the pedestrian pathway from Alipiri to Tirumala. He will stay overnight and go for the darshan tomorrow.
"This is not just about one prasad issue (laddu adulteration). Maybe it came out. Maybe this was a triggering point to initiate this. Prayaschitta Deeksha (penance) is (the) commitment to take forward the protection of Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism). (It) is very essential," he had told reporters before starting the journey.
Following allegations that the laddoos were adulterated during the tenure of former Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy, the Deputy Chief Minister has been on the warpath, taking on actors and others who have spoken lightly of the issue.
Mr Kalyan's boss, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, had announced a Special Investigation Team to probe the irregularities in the Tirupati temple body.
But after the Supreme Court asked the Solicitor General to assist the court with the opinion of the Central government on who should probe the matter, the SIT probe was stalled.
The Chief Minister had said he would "clean up" the system, alleging that the irregularities had crept in during the rule of the erstwhile YSRCP government. "Many not-so-sacred things were done at Tirumala" over the last five years, he had said.
On September 19, a lab report from NDDB was released which said samples of the ghee from Tirupati tested positive for fish oil, beef tallow, and lard.
The matter erupted after the Chief Minister said on September 18 at a NDA Legislators meeting that animal fat had been used to make Tirupati laddoos.