New Delhi: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing his successor N Chandrababu Naidu of making false claims about adulteration in the Tirupati laddus. The laddus, offered at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, are at the centre of controversy after Naidu’s allegation that they contained animal fats.
Naidu raised the issue at a political gathering. He said that ghee used for preparing the sacred offering had been adulterated with beef tallow, lard and fish oil. He cited a report from the National Dairy Development Board’s (NDDB) laboratory. He said the adulteration occurred under Reddy’s administration.
Reddy denies allegations
Reddy strongly denied the allegations, labelling them as politically motivated and an attempt to distract from Naidu’s government’s failures. He criticised Naidu for creating unnecessary panic among Hindu devotees worldwide and damaging the temple’s global reputation. Reddy said that the ghee tanker mentioned in the report had been rejected by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) after it failed quality tests and the contaminated ghee was never used in the laddus.
He also said out that the NDDB report came with disclaimers, suggesting that the test results could have been influenced by external factors, such as the cows’ diet. Reddy said that similar practices of rejecting faulty ghee were followed even during Naidu’s tenure from 2014 to 2019. In his letter, Reddy said that Naidu’s baseless allegations could harm the sanctity of the temple and hurt the sentiments of millions of devotees, urging political leaders to refrain from making inflammatory claims.
PM Modi urged to intervene
Reddy accused Naidu of using the Tirumala laddus controversy to divert attention from his government’s failures. Naidu claimed the laddus were made with adulterated ghee, citing an NDDB report, but Reddy insisted the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) had rejected the faulty ghee and followed standard procedures. He accused Naidu of spreading lies for political gain, warning that such false claims could damage the temple’s sanctity and hurt Hindu devotees’ faith. Reddy urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and ensure the truth prevails, condemning Naidu’s actions as “shameless.”
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