Tirupati Laddu Controversy: The Andhra Pradesh government has directed the Executive Officer (EO) of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to submit a comprehensive report on the ongoing ghee controversy related to the preparation of the Tirupati temple’s iconic laddu prasadam. This controversy emerged following allegations that adulterated ghee, including animal fats, was being used in the sacred offering.
TTD EO To Meet CM
The EO is scheduled to meet with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday to present the findings. The government will decide its next steps based on the report and after consultations with leaders from the Agama, Vedic, and Dharmic Parishads.
If the report confirms contamination, the Dharmic Parishad will decide whether temple purification and consecration rituals should be conducted. These rituals, if recommended, aim to restore the sanctity of the temple and its offerings.
The controversy started at a press conference in Amaravati on Thursday, TDP spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy claimed that a Gujarat-based livestock laboratory confirmed adulteration in the ghee samples provided by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple.
Displaying the lab report, he stated that the tests detected "beef tallow," "lard," and "fish oil" in the ghee sample. The sample was received on July 9, 2024, with the report dated July 16.
However, YSRCP denied the claim that substandard ghee was used during the previous YSRCP-led government.
Senior YSRCP leader and Rajya Sabha member YV Subba Reddy, who served as chairman of TTD for four years, said, "It is unimaginable to even say that animal fat was used in the consecrated food offered to the deity and the laddus given to devotees. There is no other heinous attempt than alleging that animal fat was being used."
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