Tirupati:Allegations of animal fat being used in the preparation of laddus served as prasadam at the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala have triggered a major controversy, leading to an intense political and religious fallout. The dispute erupted when Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, while addressing an NDA Legislative Party meeting in Amaravati on September 18, accused the previous YSR Congress Party government, led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, of allowing the use of substandard ingredients, including low-quality ghee containing animal fat, in the preparation of laddus.
At the same meeting, Naidu assured that under his government, only pure ghee is being used, restoring the quality of the prasadam.
The controversy intensified when a day after the CM’s statement, the ruling Telugu Desam Party released a laboratory report from the National Dairy Development Board, Gujarat. The report allegedly confirmed the presence of lard in the ghee samples sent by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
TTD executive officer J. Shyamala Rao supported this claim. He stated that the adulterated ghee came from a Tamil Nadu-based supplier A.R. Dairy Food Private Limited, that the contractor has been blacklisted, and legal action in the matter will follow.
However, the accused company denied the allegations. Officials of A.R. Dairy Food asserted that the ghee supplied to the temple by them had been rigorously tested before dispatch and after delivery. They emphasised that the lab reports provided by TTD did not specifically name their company.
Amid this, YSRC leader Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Naidu of attempting to divert attention from public dissatisfaction with his government’s first 100 days in office. He described the controversy as a political stunt, accusing Naidu of playing with the sentiments of devotees.
The former chief minister went on to write a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, urging him to take action against what he termed "baseless" claims made by Naidu.
The controversy got fuelled further when former Tirumala priest Ramana Deekshitulu revealed that the use of impure and low-quality ghee in preparation of laddus had been an issue for years. A day after the controversy erupted, he claimed that he had raised concerns with temple authorities in the past. But his warnings had been ignored.
As tension over the spiked Tirupati laddu grew, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan suggested the formation of a national-level "Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board" to protect religious practices. He himself initiated a "Prayaschitta Diksha" on Sunday to atone for the alleged desecration of the temple's prasadam. He demanded that the TTD release a white paper on its activities over the past five years.
At the national level, union health minister J.P. Nadda sought a report from the AP government. He promised that appropriate action will be taken following a review of the report. Union food minister Pralhad Joshi called for an investigation into the allegations.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi echoed these sentiments, stating that any desecration of religious spaces should be taken seriously. He warned, however, that politically motivated claims could harm the faith of millions of devotees.
Multiple public interest litigations have been filed in the Supreme Court regarding the Tirupati laddu controversy. Hindu Sena president Surjit Singh Yadav and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy petitioned for a thorough investigation into the alleged use of animal fat and substandard ingredients in the prasadam, requesting for a court-monitored probe.
On Sunday, the AP Chief Minister announced formation of a state-level SIT (special investigation team), headed by an inspector-general rank officer, to investigate the irregularities within the TTD during the previous government's tenure. He vowed that no one involved in the scandal would be spared.
On the same day, former TTD chairman and YSRC leader Y.V. Subba Reddy approached the Supreme Court seeking the formation of an independent committee, led by a retired judge, to investigate the matter.
YSRC’s former MLA and ex-TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy made an attempt on Monday to take an oath in front of the Tirumala Temple regarding the laddu issue. He was thwarted by police citing law-and-order concerns.
Police, however, allowed Karunakar Reddy to perform rituals at the temple. He later left without making his planned statement.
On Monday, the TTD performed a Shanti Homam and other purification rituals at the Tirumala Temple to restore the sanctity of the temple and its prasadam.
