Has Centre stopped Jagan from visiting Tirupati ?

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu kicked up a political storm when he alleged that the sanctity of the Lord Venkateswara Swamy in Tirumala Hills was compromised during the previous government due to adulteration of the holy Laddu prasadam which holds great reverence among the Hindus. The issue triggered huge backlash on YSR Congress party and its leader YS Jagan.

As these allegations are turning out to doom his party and also posed a significant threat to his political career, Jagan immediately came out before the media and tried to counter them. Unfortunately, he couldn’t prove Naidu’s claims as baseless and there were adequate proofs to support adulteration. To avoid more damage, Jagan immediately announced that he will climb Tirumala Hills and seek the blessings of Lord Venkateswara on Saturday. Later, he changed his plans to go directly to the temple and have darshan.

All of sudden, Jagan’s visit has been called off and he addressed a press meet to blame the government for not allowing him to go to the temple in the name of politics. Jagan admitted that he has faith in Christianity but respects all religions. But, he didn’t mention any sound reason why never signed on the mandatory declaration to be given by non-Hindus who visit Tirumala. Also, his reason to cancel the trip abruptly raised many doubts.

While some say that Jagan cancelled his visit out of fear that he will be forced to sign the declaration which will result in animosity from Christians, other believe that he called off to avoid arrest due to any law and order issues on the day of his trip.

But, reliable sources say that the centre intervened in this matter and stopped Jagan from visiting Tirupati amid the ongoing controversy. Some bigwigs in the central government have reportedly alerted Jagan to not go ahead with his plan and cancel it at the last minute. It is unclear if Jagan followed their instructions or has he given up to avoid signing the declaration.

It is a known fact Jagan had already written to the Prime Minister over the issue and asked the centre to conduct a detailed investigation into the allegations made by Chandrababu Naidu.