Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], October 1 : YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP Vijayasai Reddy V, on Tuesday, slammed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu over the Tirupati Prasadam row and said that spreading 'misinformation' without any conclusive proof may lead to punishment under several laws.
In a post on X, Vijayasai Reddy asserted that the Andhra CM has done an "unpardonable grave blunder" and this is the "beginning of the end" of Naidu's career.
"Chandrababu, you have done an unpardonable grave blunder. Even God won't spare you! Chandrababu, a reliably unreliable backstabber and consistently inconsistent politician, has earned his reputation as a trusted betrayer. His self-proclaimed '40 years industry' is at work again, spreading misinformation about the Tirumala issue without any conclusive proof. Such actions may lead to punishment under various laws, including the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and cyber laws," Reddy said.
"Most importantly, any restriction on speech must align with the constitutional safeguards in Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(2) of the Indian Constitution. As per constitutional norms, the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to the State Legislature, making them accountable for any misinformation or false statements presented to the public. This is the beginning of the end of your career," the YSRCP MP added.
The row over the Tirupati Prasadam began after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus, the Prasdam offered at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, during the previous YSRCP government.
However, the Supreme Court on Monday questioned Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for making public allegations about the use of adulterated ghee for the preparation of laddus, which were served as prasadam at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan criticised the Chief Minister, saying there is "no conclusive proof" yet to substantiate that contaminated ghee was used in the preparation of prasadam laddus.
"We are prima facie of the view that when the investigation was under process, it was not appropriate for the high constitutional authority to make a statement that could affect the sentiments of crores of people. In that view of the matter, we find that it would be appropriate if the Solicitor General assists us on whether the SIT by the state should continue or the investigation should be by an independent agency," said the bench.
Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP), Dwaraka Tirumala Rao on Tuesday, announced that the SIT investigation investigating the Tirupati Laddu prasadam case will be suspended until October 3, due to the ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court.