Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday alleged that Tirupati laddus were prepared using ghee adulterated with “chemicals used to clean bathrooms” during the previous YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government, escalating the political row over the sanctity of the revered prasadam.
Speaking at a village meeting in Kalugotla in Kurnool district, Naidu accused the former government of damaging the prestige of Lord Venkateswara Swamy by supplying adulterated ghee for the consecrated sweet. He claimed that similar ghee was also supplied to the Srisailam temple during the YSRCP regime.
“Ghee made out of bathroom-cleaning chemicals was used in laddus by them,” Naidu alleged on the sidelines of a Pattadar Passbook distribution programme in Yemmiganur constituency. He claimed that such adulterated ghee was used for nearly five years.
Naidu said there were different types of chemicals, including vegetable-based substitutes, which are costlier, and animal fat, which is cheaper. He asserted that a National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) report indicated the use of animal fat, though he said he would not elaborate further as a devotee, keeping the sanctity of Lord Venkateswara Swamy in mind.
Rejecting YSRCP’s claim that a CBI-led Special Investigation Team (SIT) had given a clean chit in the case, Naidu said no report had exonerated the previous government. He also claimed that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s uncle and YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy had acknowledged that adulteration had occurred.
The chief minister said his government had taken steps to correct what he described as the desecration of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), adding that there was a noticeable difference between the laddus prepared now and those made earlier.
On Thursday, Naidu had said that those responsible for the alleged adulteration would not be spared and announced the formation of a one-man committee to implement corrective measures based on an SIT report. He described the alleged adulteration as a serious offence against the faith of devotees.
Responding to the allegations, YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy rejected the claims, stating that a 2022 report by the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) did not mention animal fat in the ghee used for laddus, though it flagged adulteration.
He denied suppressing the report and accused the TDP-led NDA government of spreading false allegations despite the SIT report, alleging that hoardings were being erected to blame the YSRCP.
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