‘Hindu Sentiments Defiled…’: Massive Row Over Beef Fat & Fish Oil In Tirupati Ladoos; YSRCP To Move Court – News18

Lab reports indicating beef fat and fish oil in the ghee used to make the famous Tirupati prasadam has sparked a massive political storm, a day after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu accused the YSRCP regime of using animal fat to make the consecrated laddus.

More trouble mounted for the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government on Thursday (September 19), with the state vigilance department alleging a scam to the tune of Rs 500 crore at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the board which manages the hill shrine. Things further took an ugly turn as the YSRCP said it will drag the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to court over the “baseless allegations” made by Naidu.

“We will approach the court. These are baseless allegations by the CM. Let them prove it. The CM has hurt the sentiments of the people and he is insulting Hindus,” YSRCP spokesperson Narayanan Murthy told CNN-News18.

During an NDA legislative party meeting on Wednesday (September 18), the chief minister claimed that the previous Jagan regime did not even spare Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala and used substandard ingredients and animal fat for making the prasadam. A day after, in a press conference, the TDP claimed that the adulteration has been confirmed by a Gujarat-based livestock laboratory, on the ghee samples provided by the TTD.

“No one can imagine that even Tirumala laddu will be desecrated like this. They have worked for the last 5 years with the aim of destroying the sanctity of Tirumala. If you associate with Lord Venkateswara, you will experience it in this life, not in the next life,” the TDP said in a post on X, after releasing the purported lab report.

‘Unless Hindus united…’: BJP joins outrage

Saying the religious sentiments of Hindus had been “defiled”, the BJP joined the political outrage over the Tirupati prasadam issue. Party spokesperson and IT cell head Amit Malviya said those responsible “must be incarcerated”.

“Lab test report confirms beef fat, fish oil used in making laddus at Tirupati Balaji Temple. Those responsible for this act of defiling Hindu religious sentiments must be incarcerated. Unless Hindus unite, they will be subjected to such humiliation, in the name of ‘secularism’,” he wrote in a post on X, along with pictures of the purported test reports.

Andhra Pradesh BJP said Naidu’s remarks have created anguish among all Hindus. The saffron party appealed to the state government to immediately investigate all the issues that hurt the sentiments of Hindus in the previous government.

Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar said the alleged use of animal fat in making the laddu is a deep betrayal of faith and trust of Hindus who pray to Lord Venkateswara.

“God will not forgive for this massive betrayal to Hindus. Animal fat being used in laddu is a deep betrayal of faith and trust to Hindus who pray to Tirumala Venkateshwara Swamy. In the past, we raised concerns that allowing individuals from other communities & atheists as employees and also into TTD board would lead to corruption and disrespect towards beliefs of Hindus. We demand that the Andhra Pradesh government to conduct an immediate probe into the matter to uncover the truth and take strong action against those responsible. We urge the government to protect the sanctity of Tirumala,” he said in a post on X.

Vigilance alleges Rs 500-crore scam in TTD during YSRCP regime

In another development, the state vigilance department alleged a scam to the tune of Rs 500 crore within the TTD and issued a notice to the board’s former chairperson YV Subba Reddy, who was the first from the YSRCP to counter Naidu’s accusations.

According to sources, the engineering department and the Srivani trust are under the scanner. Vigilance officials has conducted searches in 18 departments of the TTD in the last two months and a report has been submitted to the CM’s office, they said.

Sources said apart from Subba Reddy, other members of the board, including former executive officer Dharma Reddy, have also been issued a notice over alleged mismatch in funds data and corruption.