Tirupati, Sept.20 (NSS): Former chief priest of TTD Ramana Deekshitulu today responded to the issue of the usage of adulterated ghee in the preparation of Tirumala Tirupati Venkateswara Swami laddu prasadam.
Stating that the recent developments over the past two days have been very distressing, he said it was unfortunate for the devotees of the Lord. “I too have been very saddened. I have performed rituals without any misconduct towards the Lord. The deity who provides us with food should be offered pure naivedyam. The adulteration of ghee is very regrettable. We use cow’s milk for many offerings to the Lord. However, seeing adulteration in ghee is also a sin. Even when complaints were made about the quality of offerings, no one paid attention. I fought this battle alone,” he claimed.
Ramana Deekshitulu said irregularities had been happening for five years and added that those who are knowledgeable in Agama should be appointed as servants to serve in Tirumala. He said an inquiry should be conducted into the adulteration of ghee. Ramana Deekshitulu stated that when he brought such mistakes to the chairman’s attention, cases were filed against him.
“Reducing the offerings to the Lord is a misconduct. The traditions that have been followed for hundreds of years regarding offerings should continue. It is not appropriate to offer prasadam made with organic millets. If given the opportunity, I will rectify such issues. The false cases against me should be dismissed by this government. If the cases are dismissed, I am ready to serve the Lord again,” Ramana Deekshitulu said. He said if such mistakes occur in the Lord’s temple, remedies should be provided according to Agama Shastra. The former chief priest of the Lord’s temple also stated that advice should be sought from qualified Agama scholars from other States or within the State.
The chief priest of Chilukuru Balaji temple, Rangarajan, called for a comprehensive investigation into the adulteration of Tirumala laddu prasadam. Stating that it is a horrifying and unbelievable truth, he expressed that such incidents occurring in Tirumala were regrettable. He criticized the tendering process as flawed. He urged the Andhra Pradesh government to initiate an inquiry into the issue.
In this regard, Rangarajan released a video message. He urged Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan to establish a national-level religious council, which could prevent such atrocities. He urged that this matter be brought to the attention of the Central government to protect the sanctity of Tirumala.
