Amid the controversy over the sanctity of the ladoo at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple (Tirupati temple) in Andhra Pradesh, the temple management Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) said that the prasadam is now completely pure and holy. We are committed to continue this going forward.
On the other hand, TTD Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao admitted that animal fat was used in the ghee. In a press conference on Friday, September 20, it was said that this has been confirmed in 4 lab reports of ghee samples from which the laddus were being made. Rao said that the temple management does not have its own lab. Ghee supplier AR Dairy Foods took advantage of it.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, officials from the Food Safety Department of the Central and State Governments reached the factory of AR Dairy Foods in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu for an investigation.
Where did the Prasadam controversy reach?
Supreme Court: Lawyer Satyam Singh filed a petition in the Supreme Court. He said that this is a violation of the fundamental principles of Hindu religious customs. The court should take immediate note of this.
High Court: Fat dispute in YSR Ladoo goes to High Court. Jagan Reddy's side has requested an inquiry into the matter under the supervision of the sitting judge. The next hearing of this case will be on September 25.
Ministry of Health: The Health Ministry has sought a report from the Andhra Pradesh government. Health Minister JP Nadda said, I have spoken to CM Chandrababu Naidu. The prasad (ladoo) of the temple will be examined.
Demand for CBI probe: TDP, Congress and BJP have demanded a CBI probe into the matter. However, the central government has not yet handed over the case to the investigating agency.
How did this controversy come up…The Karnataka Cooperative Milk Federation (KMF) had been supplying ghee to the Trust at subsidized rates for the past 50 years. The temple consumes 1400 tonnes of ghee every six months. In July 2023, the company refused to supply at lower rates, after which the Jagan government (YSRCP) awarded the supply work to 5 companies. One of these is AR Dairy Foods based in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, whose product was found to be defective in July this year.
TDP govt came, sample test done in July, fate confirmed
The TDP government appointed senior IAS officer J Shyamala Rao as the new executive officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in June 2024.
He ordered to check the quality of prasadam. A committee was formed for this. The committee made several suggestions to improve the taste and quality of prasad and a sample of ghee was sent to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Gujarat for testing. Fat was mentioned in a report that came out in July.
After this TTD returned the stock of ghee sent by AR Dairy Foods based in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu and blacklisted the contractor. After this TTD started procuring ghee from Karnataka Milk Federation.
Ghee was purchased from the old supplier at Rs 320 per kg. While Tirupati Trust is now buying ghee from Karnataka Cooperative Milk Federation (KMF) at Rs 475 per kg.
NDDB Kolf, a ghee purity testing laboratory, has agreed to donate a machine to Tirupati to test the purity of ghee. Its price is 75 lakh rupees.
Amul said – we Never supplied ghee to Tirupati temple
Amul released a statement on social media on Friday, September 20.
Dairy company Amul has also clarified amid the Tirupati Ladoo adulteration controversy. The company released a statement on social media on Friday saying that it has never supplied ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
Amul said-
Some social media posts are saying that Amul Ghee was being supplied to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TDD). We would like to state that we have never supplied Amul Ghee to Tirupati Temple. We would also like to clarify that Amul Ghee is manufactured from milk in our state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, which is ISO certified. Amul Ghee is made from high quality pure milk fat.
A thorough investigation is required Shobha Karandlaje has also demanded a thorough investigation of the suppliers who supplied ghee for Tirupati Ladoo in the last four years. He said it should be clear who got the tender and where the ghee was supplied from. Karandlaje has demanded full transparency from the Andhra Pradesh government in the matter and said “No more secrecy, time to bring out the whole truth.” This strict demand of the BJP leader on this issue related to Hindu faith has created a stir in political and religious circles.
TTD Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao held a press conference on Friday, September 20. He claimed that 4 lab reports of ghee samples confirmed the presence of animal fat from which the laddus were being made. Rao said that the temple management does not have its own lab. Ghee suppliers took advantage of this.
On the other hand, former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy also gave his first reaction to the allegations. He said that CM Chandrababu Naidu has shown the lab report of July. By then he had become CM. Reddy said that Naidu is using God to gain political advantage. Jagan Reddy said that Naidu has distorted the facts. They will write to Prime Minister Modi and Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud demanding action against Naidu.
Prahlad Joshi also expressed concernUnion Minister Prahlad Joshi has expressed concern over the Tirupati Ladoo controversy and said that it is a very serious matter and should be thoroughly investigated. The lab report that came out is very dangerous. It is a matter of faith for millions of people. This report released by Chandrababu Naidu should be investigated and if found to be true the culprits will be punished. He also appealed against the matter and said that the state government should take a decision on the matter.
Joshi further said, “The state government is competent, it should decide whether the case should be handed over to the CBI or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) should be formed.”
CM Naidu accused of mixing animal fat in gheeChief Minister Naidu also made a statement again on the ghee issue. Speaking at a meeting in Prakasam district, Naidu said that when ghee was available in the market at Rs 500 per kg, the Jagan government bought ghee at Rs 320 per kg. In such a case the ghee must have been adulterated by the supplier. There will be an inquiry into the purchase of low-priced ghee by the Jagan government. The sanctity of the Tirupati temple has been tarnished by laddus made from animal fat ghee.
CM Naidu had alleged on September 18 that animal fat and fish oil were mixed in the ghee used for laddus in the Tirupati temple during the former Jagan government. The TDP has also claimed to confirm its allegations by showing the lab report.
Andhra Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan said-
It is high time that a 'Sanatana Dharma Raksha Board' is formed at the national level to look into all issues related to temples.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said-
The news of desecration of Prasad in Venkateswara temple is alarming. This development will hurt every devotee. This needs to be thought deeply. Temple administrators across the country must protect the sanctity of religious places.
On Friday, a protest was held in Bhopal over the presence of animal fat in the Tirupati temple laddu.
Five companies supplying ghee banned, 4 trucks of one found adulteratedThe Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) have canceled contracts with companies supplying ghee after the matter came to light. Among the companies supplying ghee were Premier Agri Foods, Kriparam Dairy, Vaishnavi, Shree Parag Milk and AR Food Company. Of the five companies supplied, only AR Dairy's ghee was confirmed to contain beef fat. Four trucks of the company have been confirmed to contain impure ghee. However, the contracts with all the five companies have been canceled and a new contract has been entered into with KMF, the ghee supplier of late. The contract with this company was canceled as its price was above Rs 450, while the contract with AR Food Company was at Rs 320 to 411.
Various suppliers of YSRCP-TDP Govt
YSRCP changed ghee supplier last year, found problem In fact, KMF was supplying ghee to the Karnataka Trust at concessional rates for the last 50 years. The temple consumes 1400 tonnes of ghee every six months. In July 2023, the company refused to supply at lower rates, after which the Jagan government (YSRCP) awarded the supply work to 5 companies. One of these is AR Dairy Foods of Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, whose product was found to be defective in July this year.
The TDP government blacklisted ghee sellers in July this year The TDP government appointed senior IAS officer J Shyamala Rao as the new executive officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in June this year.
He ordered to check the quality of prasadam. A committee was formed for this. The committee made several suggestions to improve the taste and quality of prasad and samples of ghee have been sent to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) of Gujarat for testing. Fate was mentioned in a report that came out in July.
After this TTD returned the stock of ghee sent by AR Dairy Foods based in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu and blacklisted the contractor. After this TTD started procuring ghee from Karnataka Milk Federation.
Ghee was purchased from the old supplier at Rs 320 per kg. While Tirupati Trust is now buying ghee from Karnataka Cooperative Milk Federation (KMF) at Rs 475 per kg.
NDDB Kolf, a ghee purity testing laboratory, has agreed to donate a machine to Tirupati to test the purity of ghee. Its price is 75 lakh rupees.
A 300-year-old kitchen, only Brahmins make 3.5 lakh laddus
Around 200 Brahmins in the Tirupati temple make laddus with pure country ghee in a 300-year-old kitchen.
Tirupati Temple is one of the most popular and richest religious places in the world. Every day around 70 thousand devotees visit Lord Venkateswara Swamy here. It is administered by the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams (TTD).
3.50 lakh laddus are made daily using pure country ghee in the 300 year old kitchen 'Potu' built in the temple premises. This is the main offering of the temple, which is made by about 200 Brahmins.
Ladoo consists of pure gram flour, boondi, sugar, cashew nuts and pure ghee. At the time of consecration of the Ram temple, the trust had sent about one lakh ladus to Ayodhya.
Gujarat Laboratory Reveals: Beef found in tirupati temple prasad laddu, pig fat and fish oil also confirmed, sanctity of prasad tampered with, probe into where ghee came from
Controversy is growing over the sanctity and purity of Tirupati temple's laddu prasadam. Andhra Pradesh's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has again claimed that apart from fatty ghee, beef, pig fat and fish oil have been confirmed. Click here to read more of this news
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
