From Ghee to Politics: How Tirupati Laddu Row Could Reshape Andhra’s Hindu-Christian Dynamics

Has the BJP raked up the Tirupati Laddu row to target Jagan Mohan Reddy and his YSR Congress Party? Is it a clever ploy employed by the saffron party to a Hindu-Christian divide to consolidate its voter base and take its Hindutva plank to a new high level? What role was played by N Chandrababu Naidu in the entire controversy?

Rajshekhar Reddy’s Israel Connection

Jagan Mohan Reddy’s father YS Rajshekhar Reddy was a devout Christian and he used to visit Israel after the last polling date in every assembly election. Jagan Mohan continued with this practice and ruffled quite a few feathers in 2019 when he visited his Holy Land as the state's Chief Minister at the government's expense. 

Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Israel Visit Creates Row

Jagan Mohan Reddy, a Protestant Christian visited Israel along with his family in August 2019. Andhra Pradesh government, run by Reddy himself, released an amount of Rs 22 lakh for the visit. SP Sivaraj Senthil Kumar and Chief Security Officer to Chief Minister A Joshi also joined him as a part of the security system. BJP leader Lanka Dinakar raised this issue and wondered why the money from the state exchequer.

The BJP failed to create a storm over the issue, however, it brought the matter to the public domain and created a buzz in the Hindutva circle.

TTD Removes 44 Non-Hindu Employees

YSR Jaganmohan Reddy triggered a controversy when the Andhra Pradesh government issued an order declaring that the non-Hindus employees of the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD) would no longer be allowed to work in the Tirupati temple. The TTD manages administration at the Sri Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala and other temples at Tirupati. 44 non-Hindu employees were working on the temple premises, most of them worked as low-salary workers like drivers, gardeners, sweepers, etc.

Row Over Controversial Advertisements

However, the controversy had its roots in two separate advertisements printed on the reverse side of tickets sold to passengers on state government buses plying between Tirupati and Tirumala. While the first advertisement was about a ‘holy Jerusalem tour’ for Christians of Andhra Pradesh, the other was about the Haj pilgrimage offered by the Andhra Pradesh government to Muslims. Later, when the BJP lapped up the issue and created a massive controversy, a high-level state transport department official was suspended.

Naidu Orders Controversial Advertisements

However, it is interesting to note that the row has its genesis in the N Chandrababu Naidu government, which had decided to print the advertisement to attract Muslim and Christian voters. He lost the election and when the advertisement was published, Jagan Mohan Reddy was the Chief Minister of the newly-installed government.

BJP Targets Jagan Mohan Reddy

However, the BJP was up in arms against the government and the Christian chief minister in particular. It launched a massive campaign against Jagan Mohan Reddy, alleging the mushrooming of churches in and around Tirupati, a pilgrimage town for Hindus.

Row Over Temple Official’s Church Visit

A massive controversy also erupted after a video of a senior temple official visiting a church for Sunday prayer went viral in January 2018.

After the BJP held a massive demonstration, the TTD swung into action and conducted an inquiry into the matter. It was found in the probe that the concerned official, a woman, was appointed in 1986, three years before the order banning the recruitment of non-Hindus in temple administration, was issued. The TTD said that those who joined the temple administration before the issue of the order and converted after it, would not be removed.

TTD Removes Non-Hindu Employees

However, the TTD administration identified 44 non-Hindu staff and removed them from religious duties. Employed as gardeners, drivers and in other non-religious profiles, they challenged the decision in the Andhra Pradesh High Court and secured a stay from it.

As the present controversy has escalated to a new height at a time when once again Chandrababu Naidu is the Chief Minister of the state, the BJP is most likely to make the killing and target Jagan Mohan Reddy. Though he is in the opposition, his government has been held responsible for selecting the ghee supplier.

BJP Eyes Hindu Consolidation

Secondly, it will allow the BJP to target the Christian community for supplying laddu made of beef tallow and fish oil to devout Hindus, hurting their sentiments. Though Christians constitute not more than about 2% of the Andhra Pradesh population, a Hindu-Christian divide would help the saffron party consolidate its vote bank.