Published Feb 01, 2026 | 10:42 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 02, 2026 | 8:27 AM
Addressing a news conference, N Chandrababu Naidu said he had taken steps to cleanse Tirumala and preserve its sanctity.
Synopsis: Chandrababu Naidu defended his 18 September 2024 allegation, saying he had made the statement based on the findings of a report submitted by the National Dairy Development Board.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday, 1 February, reiterated that ghee containing animal fat was used for preparing the laddu at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, when the YSR Congress Party was in power in the state.
Naidu reiterated the charge after a Supreme Court-appointed, CBI-led special investigation team had filed its chargesheet in January, saying no animal fat was found in the ghee, but it was chemically adulterated.
While addressing a news conference at Kuppam in Chittoor, the chief minister defended his 18 September 2024 allegation, saying he had made the statement based on the findings of a report submitted by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
“As soon as I assumed office as the chief minister in 2024, I appointed Shyamal Rao as the Executive Officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). He sent ghee samples for testing to the NDDB after suspecting that the ghee used in making laddus was of substandard quality,” Naidu told the media.
“Only after the premier organisation submitted its report did I speak about its contents. I had clearly stated on that very day it had animal fat,” he claimed.
The chief minister accused the YSRCP of attempting to derive political mileage by invoking God. “If you try to use God for political benefit, you will perish in this very birth. Lord Venkateswara will not remain silent,” he warned.
Naidu alleged that the YSRCP had committed maha apacharam (grave sacrilege) and maha papam (grave sin), and had gone a step further by resorting to his character assassination.
“They wanted to drag Lord Venkateswara onto the streets. I did not want do that. That is why I ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT). But they went to the Supreme Court,” he said.
He asserted that Lord Venkateswara was capable of self-protection and would guide the government on the right path.
“If you rub the Lord the wrong way, punishment will come in this birth itself,” Naidu added.
The chief minister said he had taken steps to cleanse Tirumala and preserve its sanctity when it came under threat during the YSRCP rule.
“After everything I have done to protect the sanctity of the Tirumala shrine and the laddu prasadam, YSRCP leaders are now asking me to apologise,” he remarked.
Reiterating his personal faith, Naidu said he was a staunch devotee of Lord Venkateswara and would not allow any sacrilege or impious acts.
“Lord Venkateswara is our kula daivam (family deity). I am an ordinary but devoted follower. Whenever I visit Tirumala, I go as a common devotee. I do not even use the Vaikunta Dwaram,” he said.
The chief minister, however, declined to respond to a question on the sudden transfer of TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal.
“I will talk about the transfer later,” he said.
Naidu’s statement came even as the laddu row took a violent turn, pitting TDP and YSRCP workers against each other in Guntur.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
