Naidu claimed that by using inferior ingredients and animal fat in the Tirupati laddus, the previous YSRCP government had jeopardized the Sri Venkateswara temple.
According to the ruling Telugu Desam Party, a livestock laboratory in Gujarat has confirmed the presence of fish oil, “lard” (pig fat), and “beef tallow” in the ghee used to make the famous Tirupati laddu. This assertion was made on Thursday.
At a press conference, TDP spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy showed the alleged lab findings. The lab report was dated July 16 and the sample was received on July 9, 2024.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu claimed on Wednesday that during the previous YSRCP government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, “animal fat” was used in place of ghee in the laddus distributed as “prasad” at the shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati.
The head of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) claimed that there was animal fat in the ghee used to create the well-known tirupati laddus during the YSRCP administration, citing a report from the Centre of Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) at the National Dairy Development Board in Gujarat. According to the research, there were trace amounts of beef tallow, fish oil, and lard—a semi-solid white fat that comes from the fatty tissue of pigs—in the ghee.
“The lab reports of the samples certify that beef tallow, animal fat – lard, and fish oil were used in the preparation of ghee supplied to Tirumala, and the S value is only 19.7,” TDP spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy was quoted as saying by ANI. He gave me a copy of the lab report as well.
On Thursday, the Karnataka Milk Federation said the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board has not purchased ghee from them in the past four years, according to News18. The board clarified that since the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by Chandrababu Naidu, came into power in Andhra Pradesh, it has been supplying Nandhini Ghee.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, a form of Lord Vishnu, who is believed to have descended to earth to help humanity overcome the challenges of the Kali Yuga. Consequently, the temple is known as Kaliyuga Vaikuntha, and the deity is called Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam.
Political row over ‘animal fat’ in Tirupati laddu
TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu said that the former YSRCP government had even jeopardized the Sri Venkateswara shrine by using inferior ingredients and animal fat in the laddus during an NDA legislative party meeting on Wednesday.
The minister for Andhra Pradesh, Nara Lokesh, posted a video clip of his father, Chief Minister Naidu, discussing the matter on X, stating, “Our most sacred temple is the Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple at Tirumala.” The revelation that the Y. S. Jagan administration substituted animal fat for ghee in the Tirupati Prasadam astounds me.
Prior to this, prominent YSRCP leader B Karunakar Reddy charged Chandrababu Naidu with fabricating claims on the caliber of the well-known Tirupati laddus in order to obtain political leverage. Reddy asserted that Naidu’s charges of animal fat in the laddus during the YSRCP administration were meant to politically malign the opposition party and its leader, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Reddy has twice served as the chairman of TTD, the official custodian of the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati.
On Thursday, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) advocated for harsh action against those involved and referred to Chandrababu Naidu’s accusation regarding the Tirupati laddu as a “serious issue.”
“Everyone knows about the anti-Hindu acts and deeds of the previous YSR government in Andhra Pradesh, but nobody could have expected it to stoop to this level,” VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal was reported as saying by news agency PTI earlier. Senior YSRCP leader B Karunakar Reddy made the accusation.
“Chanderbabu Naidu, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, brought up this really important topic. Punish those responsible for Tirupati laddu prasadam made with animal fat,” he uttered, calling for “rapid, severe action against the offenders.”
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