Amid the Tirupati laddu controversy, TTD's Executive Officer confirmed that adulterated ghee was not used to make the sweet.
Published Sep 20, 2024 | 11:00 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 20, 2024 | 11:07 PM
A raging controversy sparked off by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu saw some clarity on Friday, 20 September, with Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams (TTD) officials confirming that adulterated ghee was not used in the preparation of laddu, offered to the devotees as ‘prasadam.’
After the Executive Officer (EO) of TTD, Shyamala Rao addressed a press conference about the controversy, former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy too spoke to the media on the issue and raised serious questions to CM Chandrababu Naidu.
In July 2024, TTD EO had referred to a lab report from the NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) -accredited NDDP (National Dairy Development Board) to declare that a vendor had been blacklisted for supplying adulterated ghee. He had then pointed to ‘vegetable fat’ in the form of vanaspati as the adulterant in the ghee.
On 20 September, two days after Andhra CM Naidu made claims of animal fat being used in preparing Tirupati laddu, Rao referred to the same report from July to suggest ‘animal fat’ was found, a claim that found no mention in his July press conference.
“Ghee from one particular supplier—AR Diary Foods— was highly adulterated. The values of tests for vegetable oil, lard, and beef tallow, were much below the optimal range, making the ghee highly adulterated,” Shyamala Rao said.
He confirmed that TTD has not used the ghee of the four tankers, whose samples were sent for testing, for making the prasadam. Responding to a specific question on whether adulterated ghee was used by TTD, Rao said: “No, no. Adulterated ghee from four tankers were kept aside so that they could be used when reports came back clean but the reports were not clean, so we rejected and sent them back.”
Shyamala Rao said that, on the whole, approximately ten tankers of ghee have been supplied to the TTD by the said supplier, of which six were used after initial tests. Four were kept aside on the basis of doubts in July. Their samples were sent for testing, based on sensory suspicion (smell and colour).
According to the TTD EO, the tenders were called on 12 March, 2024, and finalised on 8 May, 2024. The supply started on 15 May, 2024. Speaking of the date of the tests, Shyamala Rao recalled that, they sent two tankers on 6 July, 2024, and the other two on 12 July, 2024 for testing to CALF Lab at NDDB, Anand.
Meanwhile, the vendor in question, AR Dairy, issued a statement on Friday categorically denying adulteration in their supply of ghee to TTD. In a statement to media, the firm’s officials said they had supplied four tankers of ghee to TTD in July. This timeline corresponds to EO’s statement. The firm, however, insisted that their ghee had certification from FSSAI but didn’t answer questions on why they were no longer supplying to TTD.
Even as TDP accused the previous YSRCP regime of approving tenders from vendors supplying subpar ghee, the TDP has been in power in Andhra Pradesh since June this year. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s pointed questions to CM Naidu
Breaking his silence on TDP’s allegations, YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday dismissed allegation of animal fat presence in Tirumala laddus.
Speaking to reporters at the party office in Tadepalli near Vijayawada, he said that there was “no way” adulterated ghee with animal fat could be used in the making of Tirumala Laddus since there was a “robust” quality check of the ghee supplied by the contractors to the shrine. “That allegation that ghee used in making Tirumala laddu is a concocted story (kattu kadha),” he said.
The former chief minister said that the practices in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) were very stringent and did not allow any substandard or adulterated ghee or any other ingredients that are meant for making laddus.
He pointed out that these robust practices were in force for decades and Chandrababu Naidu should take pride in the fact that the TTD had such built-in safeguards, rather than preferring to hurt the sentiments of millions of Hindus with a political motive in mind.
The former chief minister said that there were instances of the TTD rejecting the tankers with ghee that did not conform to the standards of the Tirumala shrine both during Nadiu’s first term (2014-2019) and YRSCP’s tenure (2019-2024).
The former chief minister sought to turn the tables against Chandrababu Naidu asking him why he chose to release the report of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) dated 23 July only on Thursday, the occasion of the completion of the 100 days of his governance.
“If Naidu says laddus were adulterated in July, who was the chief minister then? Why did he make the report public now? That too at the TDP office, unless he had the motive of diverting the people’s attention from his failure in keeping his super six promises,” Jagan Mohan Reddy asked.
Amidst the political slug fest over Tirupati laddus, devotees are left wondering about two questions – if CM Naidu’s claim of animal fat usage in Prasadam was indeed true and if yes, why did the Andhra Pradesh government not take any action since July.
(Edited by SF desk with inputs from Raj Raysam)
