Amaravati, March 4 : YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of reducing Tirumala temple to a platform for selfish political interests.

He alleged that Chandrababu Naidu has neither devotion towards the deity nor sincerity towards the administration of temples. His actions show a lack of commitment, integrity, and honesty in handling matters connected with such a sacred institution.

In a social media post, the former chief minister raised concern over the recent developments surrounding the temple and criticised Chandrababu Naidu.

â??The administration and management of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam temples, where Lord Venkateswara is worshipped as the living deity of the Kali Yuga by crores of devotees not only in India but across the world, is an extremely sacred responsibility.

"Such a holy institution must be led by individuals who possess impeccable character, unwavering devotion, integrity and commitment,â?? he said while alleging that the Chief Minister has reduced this sacred position to a platform for selfish political interests.

Instead of protecting the dignity and sanctity of the temple, decisions taken under his leadership have brought disrepute to the institution, he said.

Referring to the recent allegations against Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Chairman B.R. Naidu, Jagan stated even before the elections, a woman had written to Chandrababu Naidu alleging that the current TTD Chairman had cheated her and played with her life.

â??In her complaint, she stated that women who approached him even for small works were harassed and troubled. As a responsible leader, Chandrababu Naidu should have ordered an enquiry into these serious allegations and taken appropriate action. Instead, despite being aware of such accusations, he ignored them completely and went ahead with appointing the same individual as the Chairman of TTD, thereby compromising the sanctity and reputation of the temple,â?? said the YSRCP chief.

Anyone with genuine devotion towards Lord Venkateswara would never take such a decision. If there had been true commitment to protect the sanctity of the temple, such appointments would not have been made. This once again proves that Chandrababu Naidu lacks devotion, sincerity, and even basic reverence towards the deity, he added.

â??The same negligence is visible in the issue of ghee used for preparing Tirumala Laddu prasadam. During Chandrababu Naiduâ??s tenure, the TTD laboratory itself had rejected certain consignments of ghee for failing quality standards. Despite this, the same low-quality ghee tankers were later allowed to enter TTD again under different names during his tenure. These consignments were accepted and eventually used in the preparation of Tirumala Laddu.

"This has been clearly mentioned in the CBI-SIT chargesheets. The first chargesheet refers to this on pages 64 and 91, while the final chargesheet mentions it again on page 44. These findings clearly show the negligence and lack of seriousness in protecting the sanctity of temple prasadam,â?? wrote Jagan.

The former chief minister alleged that after committing this mistake in the Tirumala Laddu issue, Chandrababu Naidu is now attempting to shift the blame onto others while simultaneously creating political controversy around it.

â??Another disturbing aspect is the pricing of ghee. Between 2014 and 2019, the purchase price of ghee for TTD ranged between about Rs.278 and Rs.330 per kilogram. Even during 2019â??2024, the average price remained roughly within the same range. However, under Chandrababu Naiduâ??s leadership, while making false allegations about ghee quality and creating political controversy, contracts were structured in a way that benefited Indapur Dairy, a manufacturing company linked to his Heritage group. In 2025, ghee from this company was reportedly supplied to TTD at a price of about Rs.658 per kilogram, allowing huge profits while turning temple procurement into a means of private gain,â?? he said.

â??These developments raise serious concerns. They demonstrate that Chandrababu Naidu has neither devotion towards the deity nor sincerity towards the administration of temples. His actions show a lack of commitment, integrity, and honesty in handling matters connected with such a sacred institution,â?? Jagan added.

/IANS