The controversy over the alleged use of adulterated ghee in the preparation of sacred laddu prasadam for revered Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala intensified on Friday after the temple trust repeated the allegations levelled by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the body managing the temple’s affairs, said ghee suppliers took advantage of the lack of in-house adulteration testing facility as well as not using outside facilities. TTD Executive Officer Shyamala Rao said lab tests had revealed the presence of animal fat and lard in chosen samples.

“Now the reason for the lack of quality is not having an in-house lab, sending the samples to outside labs for testing and unviable rates,” the executive officer told a press conference.

A lab value indicated the sample was adulterated with Lard (pig fat) also, Rao said.

“All the four reports off samples gave similar results. So we immediately stopped the supplies. And the blacklisting of the contractor was initiated and the procedure to impose penalties would also be initiated. Now, the legal process will start,” he added.

Also Read | Tirupati laddus row: What is ‘beef tallow’? What Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP claimed

Former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy hit out at his successor, saying Naidu is such a person who can use god also for political gains.

The sacred laddus, offered as prasadam at the Tirumala temple, hold deep religious significance for millions of devotees.

Here’s all you need to know about the controversy:

1. The controversy erupted when Naidu, addressing an NDA legislative party meeting on Wednesday, alleged that the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government allowed the use of substandard ingredients in the preparation of laddus, which included animal fat and fish oil.
2. Naidu, who leads the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), said these claims were backed by a laboratory report from Gujarat’s NDDB CALF lab, which allegedly confirmed the presence of lard, beef tallow, and fish oil in ghee samples used for the laddus.
3. The report, dated July 16, 2024, was presented by TDP spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy in a press conference. Displaying the lab findings, Reddy reiterated that adulterated ghee had been supplied during the tenure of the YSRCP government. He pointed to the receipt of the ghee sample by the laboratory on July 9.
4. Former TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy, a senior YSRCP leader, vehemently denied the accusations, calling them politically motivated. Subba Reddy, who served under the previous government, challenged Naidu to swear before the deity to prove his claims. “To even suggest that animal fat was used in the making of the consecrated food is beyond imagination. Naidu’s allegations are sacrilegious and aimed at gaining political mileage,” Reddy said.
5. Fellow YSRCP leader B Karunakar Reddy, also a former TTD chairman, accused Naidu of leveraging the issue to malign the opposition. “These are baseless accusations designed to target the YSRCP and former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. Naidu has stooped to unprecedented levels, dragging sacred traditions into political mudslinging,” he said in an interview with a regional news channel.
6. The uproar has prompted calls for an impartial investigation into the matter. Andhra Pradesh Congress President YS Sharmila, in a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, requested a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the allegations. Sharmila, the sister of former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, expressed concern over the potential desecration of one of the country’s most sacred temples. “If the allegations are proven true, it will be an act of desecration of the highest order, and those responsible must be held accountable,” she wrote in the letter, urging Shah to launch an immediate inquiry.
7. Andhra Pradesh BJP leaders condemned the alleged use of animal fat in the laddu prasadam, with Telangana MLA Raja Singh describing the allegations as a direct assault on India’s cultural and religious heritage.
8. Union health minister Nadda, who has reportedly spoken with Chief Minister Naidu, said the central government is awaiting a full report on the issue and will take appropriate action once the facts are confirmed.