New Delhi, September 20: Amid the Tirupati laddu row, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday said this issue needs to be thoroughly looked into and asserted that authorities across India have to protect the sanctity of religious spaces. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's claim that animal fat was used in Tirupati laddus during the previous government triggered a massive political row, with the YSRCP accusing Naidu of indulging in "heinous allegations" for political gains and the TDP circulating a lab report to back its claim. Tirupati Laddu Prasadam Controversy: Congress Leader YS Sharmila Seeks CBI Probe Into Presence of Animal Fat in Ghee Used in Making Tirumala Laddus.

During an NDA legislative party meeting on Wednesday, Naidu claimed that the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government did not even spare the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati and used substandard ingredients and animal fat to make laddus. "The reports about the defilement of the Prasad at Sri Venkateshwara temple in Tirupati are disturbing," Gandhi said in a post on X. Tirupati Laddu Prasadam Controversy: ‘Politics in Name of God’, Says Jagan Mohan Reddy Amid Row, Refutes Charges.

Lord Balaji is a revered deity for millions of devotees in India and across the world, he said. "This issue will hurt every devotee and needs to be thoroughly looked into. Authorities across India have to protect the sanctity of our religious spaces," the former Congress chief said.