Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has accused the state’s previous YSR Congress (YSRCP) government of using animal fat and substandard ingredients in making the Tirupati laddoo, which is served as “prasadam” (food that is first offered to a deity and then distributed to devotees) at the famous Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati.
Speaking at the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) legislature party meeting in Amravati on Wednesday to mark 100 days of his government, Mr Naidu said: “In the past five years, YSR Congress party leaders have tarnished the sanctity of Tirumala.
“They compromised on the quality of ‘annadanam’ (free meals) and even contaminated the Tirumala laddoo by using animal fat instead of ghee. This revelation has caused concern. However, we are now using pure ghee. We want to protect the sanctity of the TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams).”
Mr Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party came to power in Andhra Pradesh in June in an alliance with the Jana Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Tirupati temple is managed by the TTD.
The temple trust prepares about 300,000 laddoos daily and the prasadam is held in high regard by devotees.
During the YSRCP government’s term, the TTD gave the ghee supply contract to a private vendor, replacing the Nandini brand of ghee, a product of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF).
Following the change in supplier, there were several complaints over the quality of the laddoo.
The NDA government on Aug 29 signed a new contract with KMF to supply ghee. TTD utilises about 10,000kg of ghee daily for the laddoo prasadam.
Andra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh also targeted the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy government over the issue.
“The Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala is our most sacred temple. I am shocked to learn that the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy administration used animal fat instead of ghee in the Tirupati prasadam,” he said in a post on X.
Senior YSRCP leader Y.V. Subba Reddy, who was the TTD chairman during the YSRCP term, took to X and defended his party, saying that Mr Naidu had committed a sin by hurting the sentiments of millions of Hindus.
The YSRCP later termed Mr Naidu’s allegation as “malicious” and said the Telugu Desam Party leader would “stoop to any level for political gain”.
“No person would speak such words or make such accusations,” said Mr Reddy in a post on X.
“To strengthen the faith of the devotees, I, along with my family, am ready to take an oath before the almighty regarding the Tirumala prasadam. Is Chandrababu Naidu willing to do the same with his family?”
