Uproar in AP Legislative Council over display of Venkateswara Swamy pics

Amaravati: Koyye Moshen Raju, Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, on Friday briefly adjourned the House following heated exchanges between Opposition members and the treasury benches over the alleged display of Sri Venkateswara Swamy images by YSRCP MLCs.

The uproar began after the Chairman rejected a request by Kumba Ravi Babu, D. Madhava Rao and S. Mangamma to hold a discussion on Tirupati laddu prasadam and Indapur Dairy, which the Opposition claimed was linked to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s family-owned Heritage Foods and its alleged ghee supply to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

“It is not right to seek a discussion after it has been rejected,” Raju said, amid protests demanding reconsideration. Finance Minister P. Keshav termed the display of the deity’s images “objectionable” and said such actions should not be permitted. Calling the move “provocative,” he questioned whether it was appropriate to drag Lord Venkateswara into politics and urged the Chairman to take responsibility.

A day earlier, YSRCP chief Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that Naidu was blocking discussion on Indapur Dairy. He claimed the dairy was listed as a Heritage manufacturing unit until February 10, 2026, and later redesignated as a co-manufacturing unit following controversy over ghee supplies to TTD. He accused the Chief Minister of facilitating the dairy’s participation in TTD tenders. Earlier, Naidu had dismissed allegations linking Heritage to the Tirupati laddu adulteration issue, stating the company had never sought government favours and was being unfairly targeted to damage its brand. Though the Council reconvened after the initial adjournment, continued sloganeering forced the Chairman to adjourn the House again until Monday.