A humble laddu shook politics this week. Add India’s richest Hindu temple and beef panic to the mix, and things quickly became inflammatory.
And Andhra Pradesh politics suddenly found itself on a whole new untried front. The alleged use of animal fat in the Tirupati laddu is now being called a “desecration of sanatan dharma”.
After a week of outrage, lab results on beef tallow, heated press conferences, scrutiny of tendering processes, politicians going on penance, and a purification ceremony by priests, it has devolved into who can and cannot visit Tirupati temple.
Former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy cancelled his temple visit on Friday and said “demons are now in power in the state” after Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu asked him whether whether he will sign a declaration this time about his religion before entering Tirumala temple.
This is why the Tirupati laddu is ThePrint’s Newsmaker of the Week.
It all started with CM Naidu’s sensational claim that “animal fat was used in place of pure ghee” for the laddu, shocking millions of devotees of Lord Venkateswara.
Tirupati, one of the richest temples in the world, rakes in over Rs 5,000 crore annually and sees anywhere from 75,000 to one lakh pilgrims daily. The faithful include an array of powerful personalities, from the President of India, the Prime Minister, the CJI, and CMs, to top industrialists like the Ambanis, and a long list of celebrities.
Among many offerings—such as pulihora, daddojanam, jilebi, and vada—made as naivedyam to the presiding deity Lord Venkateswara, the laddu holds the most special place. The highly sought-after Tirupati laddu has even held a GI tag since 2009.
About 3.5 lakh laddus are made daily at the temple’s kitchen, each weighing 170 grams and sold for Rs 50. Laddu sales alone bring in over Rs 500 crore annually.
This sacred sweet is supposed to be made using top-quality ingredients: gram flour, sugar, cardamom, cashews, almonds, and—most importantly—pure ghee. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the temple’s board, spends over Rs 200 crore a year to procure the 15 tonnes of ghee used daily from suppliers, selected through an e-tendering process every six months.
This ghee became political ammunition after sample tests done by the Gujarat-based National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) CALF lab found that four tankers of ghee from a Tamil Nadu-based supplier were adulterated with animal fat.
Though the said ghee was supplied after Chandrababu Nadu took over as CM, his argument is that the supplier—AR Dairy, Dindigul—was chosen by the TTD when the Jagan-led YSRCP was in power.
“There have been complaints about the smell of laddus in Tirumala,” Naidu said, citing the lab report as he pinned blame squarely on the YSRCP administration. TDP leaders, meanwhile, are reminding the public of ex-CM Jagan’s faith—Christianity.
The controversy has also snowballed into a renewed demand to ‘free’ temples from state control. The TTD, which manages the Tirupati temple, functions under the Andhra government’s oversight.
Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan has now demanded the constitution of a Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board to address all issues pertaining to Hindu temples across the country and to preserve the sanctity of the religious shrines.
His call has quickly gained support from various Hindu bodies, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), which has vowed to launch a nationwide campaign to “free temples” from state government control.
“We support the formation of the Parishad proposed by Kalyan garu. This should be a central government body so that temples can be run under an autonomous body,” said CS Rangarajan, chief archaka of Hyderabad’s famous “Visa” Balaji Devasthanam and a temple freedom proponent, speaking to ThePrint.
Hindutva firebrands like Telangana BJP leader K Madhavi Latha—who unsuccessfully contested against Asaduddin Owaisi for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat—have also jumped into the fight. In a viral video, Latha and a group of followers were seen travelling to Tirupati on the Vande Bharat train, chanting “Govinda, Govinda”, with plans to deposit an ‘apology letter’ in the temple’s hundi (offerings container).
Also Read: Who should run Hindu temples? Tamil Nadu is the epicentre in new tug-of-war
Christian faith troubles Jagan
The Tirupati laddu controversy has aggravated the political rivalry between Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu. Some view it as Naidu’s way of striking back at Jagan.
In September last year, Naidu, then an opposition leader, was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh CID in a Rs 371 crore skill development scam and spent over 50 days in jail. Exactly a year later, Naidu has cornered Jagan with the animal-fat-in-laddu grenade—targeting his adversary on both his faith and administrative competence.
Naidu’s portrayal of Jagan as “anti-Hindu”, political observers say, could harm the YSRCP’s support base among Hindu voters.
TDP leaders, backed by Pawan Kalyan, have been relentless in blaming Jagan for what Naidu has called “unpardonable mistakes”. The tirade has not stopped despite clarifications from the TTD that the offending ghee had never gone into a laddu.
“That ghee was never used, 100 percent,” TTD executive officer Syamala Rao had told ThePrint last week.
TDP leaders, however, contend that six other tankers supplied by AR Dairy likely contained tainted ghee. This ghee was used for laddu-making and a great “apacharam” (sin/desecration) was committed, according to them—although it was never tested for adulteration.
Though the adulterated ghee was delivered in June and July—after Jagan’s term ended—the TDP blames the YSRCP for selecting AR Dairy at the suspiciously cheap price of Rs 320 per kg, and for the TTD’s weak quality control measures.
This laddu row is just the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the Tirupati temple—from alleged Christian proselytisation on the Tirumala hills to corruption within the TTD, which was chaired for four years by Jagan’s uncle YV Subba Reddy and later by his confidant Bhumana Karunakar Reddy.
As Andhra Pradesh CM, Jagan often faced accusations of being “anti-Hindu”, including after malicious, desecration incidents reported at various temples across the state. The laddu accusations have breathed new life into this narrative.
Jagan, who has maintained cordial relations with BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wrote to the PM Sunday, urging that Naidu be “reprimanded in the severest way” for spreading lies over Tirupati laddu.
“Sir, this would help allay the suspicions that Mr Naidu has created in the minds of crores of Hindu devotees,” he implored.
While the Prime Minister has not responded (at least not in public knowledge), plenty of balls are in the air now.
The Union Health Ministry has ordered a report from the Andhra Pradesh government on the ghee matter. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has also reportedly issued a show-cause notice to AR Dairy, which denies any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, TTD’s procurement officials have filed a police complaint against the dairy at Tirupati Police Station, accusing it of cheating and adulteration.
On the legal front, the YSRCP is digging in its heels. Party MP and former TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy has approached the AP High Court, requesting a judicial probe into Naidu’s allegations.
In the spiritual domain, the temple—upon Naidu’s instructions—held a purification ritual and Shanti Homam to ward off any malevolence from the alleged contamination.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)