The ghee used to make the Tirupati laddu was found to be contaminated with beef tallow, fish oil and lard (a pig fat derivative). Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu took the discovery as Lord Venkateswara's sign to go after his predecessor Jagan Mohan Reddy with Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan leading the army of the Sanatana Dharma faithful.

This army will abandon Mother Cow to the vagaries of garbage dumps and plastic waste, but will never have anything to do with anything 'beef', including beef tallow. It is a matter of faith. The Supreme Court has asked that gods be kept out of politics. Perhaps a message to newly installed Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udayanidhi Stalin, whose diatribe against Sanatana Dharma is known to the tribes of both politicians as well as physicians.

But the Supreme Court must have been more concerned about Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan who wears Sanatana Dharma on his saffron sleeve. Pawan Kalyan and Udayanidhi Stalin are both actor-politicians. And they have been mixing the Gods with politics throughout their filmic careers in Tollywood and Kollywood.

In Kalyan's Tollywood, it started with NT Ramarao becoming Chief Minister solely because his religious-filmic performances made him a demigod in the eyes of the masses. In Tamil Nadu, MGR was at the vanguard.

Tirupati Tirumala Temple never failed them. These actors' careers grew at exponential rates on the back of offerings made at the Tirupati temple. Somebody like Pawan Kalyan must have offered thousands and thousands of Tirupati laddus. Udayanidhi Stalin might not have because he is made of a different political mould. Which is what all the beef is about.

It is INDI-Alliance and BJP. Do politicians really care about what goes into the making of the Tirupati laddu? That must be why the Supreme Court said not to bring the Gods into politics as if the Gods were helpless.

Pawan Kalyan believes 'yes', Hindu gods are helpless. Look at the fate of the laddus fed to Lord Venkateswara and his devotees. Something as critical as the ghee used to make the Tirupati laddu has been rendered ineffective and the Gods can't do a thing. No wonder Pawan Kalyan is so triggered up, and up in arms.

In his zeal and devotion, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has ratcheted up the noise around the Tirupati laddu, expanding the outrage surrounding the Tirupati laddu to the entirety of the Sanatana Dharma and, in the process, targeting his Hindu-hating Tamil Nadu counterpart, Deputy Chief Minister Udayanidhi Stalin.

The reaction was lukewarm: The DMK "does not talk about any religion, or Hinduism in particular", but "will continue to talk against caste atrocities, untouchability, and caste hierarchy." In the Battle of Deputy Chief Ministers, this doesn't help to call it a day. Pawan Kalyan says the adulteration of the Tirupati laddu is "the tip of the iceberg" and the corruption must be investigated to a conclusion.

Kalyan stopped short of training his guns on former Chief Minister and YSRCP Boss Jagan Mohan Reddy. Pawan 'The Aandhi' Kalyan's verbal missiles were solely for the "Tamil Nadu leader who says 'Sanatana Dharma' is like a virus and must be destroyed." Udayanidhi Stalin has argued that Sanatana Dharma should be eradicated and not just opposed.

With Pawan Kalyan taking a hardline on Udayanidhi Stalin's stance on Hinduism, the Gods have been involved in the political row over the Tirupati laddu. And Pawan Kalyan has the BJP's shoulder to fire his missiles from. The BJP, TDP and Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena are at the vanguard of bringing the Gods into politics in South India, never mind what the Supreme Court says or doesn't say.

As far as Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan is concerned, the "genocide" of Sanatana Dharma must be stopped. "Don't say Sanatana Dharma' is like a virus and will destroy. Whoever said this, let me tell you Sir, you cannot wipe out Sanatana Dharma. If anyone tries... then you will be wiped out," the Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister said at a rally in Tirupati. "I am an unapologetic Sanatani Hindu. Let me be very clear."

So, has temple politics come to the South? Those with multiple gods are fighting with the godless. The DMK called out both Pawan Kalyan and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and criticised them for flouting the Supreme Court. A DMK spokesperson said Pawan Kalyan, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and the BJP were "the real enemies of Hinduism and humanity."

With that, the DMK has acknowledged the existence and not the eradication of the Sanatana Dharma. So, is "who uses religion and Hindu gods for political gains" the next level of war between the Periyarists and the Sanatanis. Pawan Kalyan wants the formation of a pan-India committee to protect 'Sanatana Dharma' and warned that the "desecration of Sanatana Dharma in any form" will not be tolerated.

So, who is playing the 'Big Brother Is Watching' role in this movie starring Pawan Kalyan and the Supreme Court with Udayanidhi Stalin, Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu also assaying key roles? The Tirupati laddu will have a prime role with the bucolic atmosphere as a background, the heroine churning milk to get the ghee for the Tirupati laddu.

The Supreme Court is not convinced animal fat was there in the ghee used to make the Tirupati laddu. Some would say that the top court should also keep itself out of matters of faith unless it plays an even hand against all religions. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his deputy Pawan Kalyan are playing Advani's rath and charioteer to chart a course for a new kind of politics in South India. Bringing the Gods into play in politics, what justices BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan called "political drama", is old hat for the Hindu. (IPA Service)