Pawan begins trek to Tirumala

Tirupati: Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Tuesday embarked on a three-day visit to Tirumala as part of his 11-day penance to propitiate Lord Venkateswara over the alleged adulteration of Tirupati laddus.

The Deputy Chief Minister reached Tirumala and brushing aside the opinion of police that he should not trek, Pawan took to the steps for the temple. “This is not just about one prasad issue (laddu adulteration). Maybe it came out. Maybe this was a triggering point to initiate this,” he said.

“Prayaschitta Deeksha (penance) is (the) commitment to take forward Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) protection. (It) is very essential. That is the order of the day,” Kalyan told reporters while leaving for Tirumala.

According to the actor-turned-politician, temple desecrations occurred continuously in the past five years under the previous YSRCP regime. Highlighting that alleged desecrations should be addressed at a different level, the Deputy CM said his penance has entered the 10th day and after renouncing it tomorrow, a declaration would be released calling for a permanent addressing mechanism for these issues and a road map would be unveiled on Wednesday. Kalyan will return from Tirumala on Thursday evening to Vijayawada.