Tirupati Laddoo Row: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Friday alleged that the previous government under the leadership of CM Jagan Reddy used 'adulterated' ghee as it was cheap. When ghee's market rate was Rs 500 per kg, previous government bought inferior quality one at Rs 320, he said.

“People are saying their sentiments were hurt. Should I spare them when unpardonable mistakes were committed,” asked Chandrababu Naidu after Reddy claimed that the AP CM was making the issue political.

He further informed, “We have changed the ghee supplier; started purchasing Nandini brand ghee from Karnataka.”

Meanwhile, the Tirupati temple management has recommended for having their own internal labs for testing ghee supplied for preparing prasadam laddoos. The equipment are expected to be available by December-January, but until then, they would be relying on outside labs.

Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan has also commented over the issue and said, “...The quality of prasad is always quite superior and if you get even a small byte, it is like a mahaprasad to everybody. It was done with great reverence. The material chosen for prasad is sourced from very trusted groups/companies... Everything is sourced in a very well-structured manner. No one has dared to violate that part, dared to change. You need 15,000 kgs of ghee per day to make prasad. They claim that they changed vendors because it is Rs 1000 plus something and they changed and brought it down. They said that they supply was given to them at Rs 360-400. Ghee is made at a high price. So, how could they source such cheap ghee?... People were complaining regularly about the smell which is not usual with the prasad... I thought no one would dare to violate with these kinds of complaints but I was looking at other things in TTD... We had been raising concerns regarding the quality of prasad and functioning of TTD.”

“When we formed the Government and said that we want to revive TTD and sent samples, we realised that animal fat, fish oil, beef fat and pig fat were in there. We are hurt and shocked... When people of no commitment and no value and no respect for the sanctity of the temple, if they take charge this is what happens... It is not just about prasad, maybe liquor and non-veg was supplied, people were having parties there... All these things came out... When governments and boards are not acting well, there should be some other monitoring mechanism in India,” he added.

"Sanathana Dharma Parirakshana Board is the need of the day if any kind of desecration happens to idols, the sanctity of temple is not maintained...Sanathana Dharma Parirakshana Board is essential because when you leave ot to the political groups, such incidents are likely to happen on a regular basis. To thwart it and find a permanent solution, I think Sanathana Dharma Parirakshana Board should be constituted. Maybe I will speak with my cabinet as well as the CM. I will personally take it forward... We will constitute something like Sanathana Dharma Parirakshana Board, it is essential... I will take it up in the next cabinet meeting," Pawan Kalyan said.

Jagan Reddy, former Andhra CM, calls it politics

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has accused Chandrababu Naidu for highlighting the issue for political gains.

Senior YSRCP leader B Karunakar Reddy said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu levelled allegations on the preparation of famous Tirupati laddus only to derive political mileage.

Karunakar Reddy, who twice served as the chairman of TTD, the official custodian of the world-renowned Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, alleged that Naidu’s claims that Tirupati laddus (consecrated sweet) were laced with animal fat during YSRCP regime was aimed at politically targeting the opposition party and its chief and former CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

During an NDA legislative party meeting on Wednesday, the TDP supremo claimed that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fat for making laddus.

“To attack YSRCP, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and the previous government (YSRCP), he (Naidu) made heinous allegations that animal fat was used in making Swamy’s (deity) laddus. It is a deplorable experiment,” Reddy told media.

The former TTD chairman termed these allegations as 'unjustified, horrendous and sacrilegious'.

“Any kind of allegations could be made but this type of allegations against Venkateswara Swamy’s laddus for political mileage is deplorable,” he said.

Wondering if mixing animal fat with laddu was even possible, Karunakar Reddy said that if anyone had resorted to such a practice then he would be destroyed by Lord Maha Vishnu.

Claiming that Naidu’s allegations were aimed at deriving political mileage, the YSRCP leader said the deity ‘will take action against Naidu and his family’. 

With inputs from PTI     

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