Hyderabad: Tirupati laddu, the most revered offering to Lord Venkateswara which millions of Hindus accept as a divine blessing, is now at the centre of a massive political row in Andhra Pradesh.
In a stunning statement that sparked uproar, none other than Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has claimed that a key ingredient used in preparing the delicacy, ghee, was adulterated with animal fat when his predecessor Jagan Mohan Reddy was in power—a claim the YSRCP has vehemently denied.
“It is our great blessing that Tirumala Venkateswara shrine is located in our state. But they (YSRCP) have damaged the sanctity of the Lord and the temple, behaving recklessly. Laddus offered to the Lord were made with inferior ingredients and most painfully animal fat was used in place of pure ghee,” Naidu told NDA legislators Wednesday during a meeting in Amaravati to mark the first 100 days of his government.
Nara Lokesh, Naidu’s son and a minister in the TDP-led state government, shared a video of the CM’s remarks on X. “Shame on Jagan and the YSRCP government that couldn’t respect the religious sentiments of crores of devotees,” he wrote.
The shrine with an annual revenue of Rs 5,100 crore is administered by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams—a trust under the control of the Andhra Pradesh government. In 2023-24, earnings from the sale of prasadam alone, mainly laddus, was an estimated Rs 550 crore. The Tirupati laddu is what political leaders from the state including Naidu and Jagan often present to dignitaries including PM Modi during visits to Delhi.
The laddu holds a Geographical Indication (GI) tag granted to it in 2014. About 3.5 lakh laddus are made every day. Each regular sized laddu weighs 170 grams and costs Rs 50.
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Political row over Tirupati laddu
Following Naidu’s allegations, leaders of both TDP and BJP are now accusing the previous Jagan-led government of hurting the sentiments of Hindus residing across the world.
TDP spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy in a press conference Thursday said the alleged sacrilegious act shows Jagan and his family’s disdain towards the Hindu faith, while BJP’s Bhanuprakash Reddy said YSRCP’s impertinence resulted from ‘greed of commissions’.
When in the Opposition, both TDP and BJP had accused then CM Jagan, who was born into a family that took up Christianity, of disrespecting the customs of the Tirupati shrine by allegedly refusing to sign a declaration that allows entry of non-Hindus into the hallowed sanctum.
That Jagan was not accompanied by his wife during the annual Brahmotsavam, as per tradition, had also invited criticism.
Reacting to Naidu’s laddu ghee adulteration allegation, the YSRCP termed his comments malicious and said the TDP chief can ‘stoop to any low for political gains’.
దివ్య క్షేత్రం తిరుమల పవిత్రతను, వందలకోట్లమంది హిందువుల విశ్వాసాలను చంద్రబాబునాయుడు దారుణంగా దెబ్బతీసి పెద్ద పాపమే చేశాడు. తిరుమల ప్రసాదంపై చంద్రబాబు చేసిన వ్యాఖ్యలు అత్యంత దుర్మార్గం. మనిషి పుట్టుక పుట్టినవారెవ్వరూ కూడా ఇలాంటి మాటలు మాట్లాడరు, ఇలాంటి ఆరోపణలు చేయరు.1/2
— Y V Subba Reddy (@yvsubbareddymp) September 18, 2024
YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP and former TTD chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy said, “To strengthen faith of devotees, my family and I are ready to take an oath before the almighty Lord Venkateswara in the laddu prasadam matter. Is Chandrababu willing to take oath with his family?”
Subba, who is Jagan’s uncle and a practising Hindu, served as the TTD chairman for two consecutive terms, from 2019 to 2023.
Speaking to reporters near Jagan’s residence in Tadepalli Thursday, he accused Naidu of “attempting to divert attention from poll promises and public issues with wild, ridiculous statements”.
“Chandrababu’s accusations have hurt Hindu devotees across the world. He should retract the baseless comments or if he has any proof, put it forward,” he said, claiming instead that the quality of ingredients that go into making the Tirupati laddu “improved” when the YSRCP was in power in the state.
He also said that the previous government brought in “top quality lab equipment” to improve quality checks of the prasadam.
Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, the YSRCP MLA who took over as TTD chairman from Subba and gave up the position after the TDP-led alliance came to power in June this year, demanded that Naidu apologise to all devotees for making such claims.
Meanwhile, YSRCP functionaries circulated a video of Syamala Rao, the IAS officer appointed TTD executive officer by Naidu in June this year, stating that some batches of ghee used in preparation of Tirupati laddus was found to be adulterated with vegetable fats like vanaspati.
The purported video was from a presser on 23 July, 2024, they claimed.
“The EO clarified that one of the five suppliers was at fault. Despite this, Naidu politicised the issue, falsely accusing the previous government of using animal fat, turning it into a matter of controversy,” they said.
ThePrint reached Rao for clarification via call and texts but had not received any response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
While the TTD also did not provide any proof backing Naidu’s claims, party spokesperson Anam in a press conference in Nellore Thursday, produced a report he said was from the National Dairy Development Board’s Centre for Analytical Research for Livestock and Food (CALF) as “as evidence for Naidu’s statement”.
The report, a copy of which is with ThePrint, shows samples of ghee were collected from the shrine on 12 July and their analysis concluded on 23 July. “The suspected adulterants show foreign fat substances including fish oil, beef tallow and lard,” Anam claimed.
The tests were conducted after numerous complaints were received from devotees over the smell and taste of the Tirupati laddus.
State BJP spokesperson Bhanuprakash Reddy told ThePrint that during Jagan’s tenure TTD discontinued procuring ghee from Nandini (Karnataka Milk Federation) and contracts were given to other firms in exchange for commission.
“About 14 tonnes of ghee is needed daily at Tirumala temple for laddu preparation. Sometimes it becomes difficult for the contractors to procure such huge quantities and they could have resorted to adulteration. This is extremely sacrilegious and unfortunately, we have all consumed such laddus,” Bhanuprakash, a former member of TTD board, said.
Just last month, TTD re-engaged Nandini for procurement of ghee for preparation of the Tirupati laddu.
“Our beloved deity has been served beef in the prasadam,” alleged TDP’s Anam.
Adding, “It is an affront to our Lord and Hindu religion. Jagan, Dharma Reddy (former EO), Y.V. Subba and Karunakar Reddy (former TTD chairman) have committed a grave sin for which they would be punished by the almighty. On our part, every Hindu family should light a lamp in front of Govinda, asking for forgiveness.”
Former chief secretary I.Y.R. Krishna Rao, who has served as TTD executive officer in the past, said if Naidu himself has made this charge, “some investigation should have already been conducted and evidence collected”.
“If true, the government should take action, giving severe punishment to the culprits,” he added.