Dausa (Rajasthan) [India], September 22 : Mahamandaleshwar 1008 Mahant Amar Das Ji Maharaj of Ram Mandir, Dausa, Rajasthan, on Sunday demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged use of 'animal fat' in the Tirupati Laddu Prasadam, distributed at the Tirumala Temple in Tirupati.
Amar Das Ji Maharaj expressed that the Tirupati Balaji temple incident deeply "hurts" the faith of Hindus.
"The leaders who betray God--how will they spare the people of our country? This is a major betrayal of Hindus, and it affects all our Hindu brothers across the world. Their souls have been wounded, torn to pieces by such leaders who claim to believe in our Tirupati Balaji," he said.
"Tirupati Balaji resides in the hearts of every Sanatani across the world. The presence of fat or fish oil in such a sacred temple is extremely unfortunate. It is an affront to Hindus, and yet many of our Hindu brothers remain asleep. We urge Hindus to wake up and raise their voices against such unrighteous individuals. We also request the government to initiate a CBI inquiry into all members of the committee involved and the government in power at the time," he added.
Amar Das Ji Maharaj further called for strict action against those responsible.
"The harshest and most severe punishment should be given to these people, and such leaders should never be forgiven. This is not just a betrayal of us, or our future, but of Sanatan Dharma itself," he said.
Earlier, spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, called for the formation of a committee of spiritual leaders to oversee temple matters.
In a video message, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar urged for action against those involved in food adulteration.
"We have read in history books how the sepoy mutiny of 1857 occurred. Now, we see how deeply Hindus are hurt by this laddoo incident. This cannot be pardoned or forgiven. It is malicious and driven by the greed of those involved. They must be severely punished. All their assets should be seized, and they should be jailed, whoever is remotely involved in this process. We must check not just the laddoo, but every food product. What about the ghee sold in the market? Is anyone checking what's being put in it? All those who adulterate food and falsely label it as vegetarian, while adding any non-vegetarian substance, should be very strictly punished," Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said.
On September 19, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu sparked a political controversy by alleging that the ghee used in the preparation of Tirupati Laddu Prasadam during the previous YSRCP government contained animal fat.