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, triggering a fresh political storm over the sanctity of the revered prasadam. Addressing a village meeting at Kalugotla in Kurnool district, Naidu accused the former government of attempting to undermine the prestige of Lord Venkateswara Swamy by using adulterated ghee in the consecrated sweet. He claimed that such ghee was supplied not only to Tirumala but also to the Srisailam temple during the YSRCP regime.
“Ghee made out of bathroom-cleaning chemicals was used in laddus by them,” Naidu alleged while speaking on the sidelines of a Pattadar Passbook distribution programme in Yemmiganur constituency. He claimed that adulterated ghee was used for five years under the previous government.
Naidu said there are two kinds of chemicals — those of vegetable origin, which are costlier, and animal fat, which is cheaper — and asserted that the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) report indicated the use of animal fat. However, he added that as a devotee, he would refrain from saying more to preserve the sanctity of Lord Venkateswara Swamy.
Rejecting YSRCP’s claim that a CBI-led Special Investigation Team (SIT) had given a clean chit in the matter, Naidu alleged that even YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s uncle and YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy had acknowledged adulteration.
The chief minister said his government had taken steps to rectify what he described as the desecration of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) by ensuring the quality of the prasadam, adding that there was a “clear difference” between the laddus prepared now and those made earlier.
On Thursday, Naidu had vowed to take strict action against all those involved in the alleged adulteration and announced the formation of a one-man committee to implement corrective measures based on an SIT report. He termed the alleged adulteration a grave offence against devotees’ faith and insisted that no report had exonerated the YSRCP.
Calling ghee adulteration the “greatest sin against God”, Naidu claimed that a 2022 report by the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) had clearly pointed to adulteration, but alleged that irregularities were allowed to continue during the YSRCP tenure.
Responding to the allegations, YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy rejected the claims, stating that the 2022 CFTRI report did not mention the presence of animal fat in the ghee used for laddus, though it had flagged adulteration.
He denied allegations that the report was suppressed, saying, “If it was suppressed, why would I have written to CFTRI to test the samples in the first place?”
Subba Reddy further accused the TDP-led NDA government of spreading false claims despite the SIT report and of erecting hoardings to blame the YSRCP.
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