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Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Tuesday expressed deep anguish, stating that the SIT has clearly concluded that the ghee used in Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy Laddu prasadam during the YSRCP regime was not genuine ghee.
He alleged that laddus were prepared using oil manufactured with chemicals and palm oil, severely hurting the religious sentiments of millions of devotees. Adressing Jana Sena Party General Body meeting, he pointed out that, keeping in mind the faith of crores of devotees, the SIT did not explicitly disclose whether animal fat was present or not, and asserted that YSRCP leaders must stop spreading false and misleading propaganda on the laddu issue. He emphasised that it is their responsibility to present the truth to the public. The Jana Sena Party President further alleged that the YSRCP committed an act of sacrilege at the holy site of Tirumala. He claimed the previous administration arbitrarily altered established rules to facilitate the purchase of tonnes of adulterated ghee. "Driven by greed, YSRCP leaders committed a sacrilege in Tirumala. They arbitrarily altered rules, purchased tonnes of adulterated ghee, and mixed it into the prasadam. High-quality sesame oil itself does not cost 400 per kg--then how could pure cow ghee be supplied at such low prices? After committing all these wrongdoings while in power, they are now resorting to lies and excuses, pretending ignorance. We must strongly take YSRCP's misdeeds to the people," said Kalyan. Earlier, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) state spokesperson and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of politicising devotees' faith by suppressing facts in the Tirumala laddu issue and promoting false propaganda. Speaking to the media in Tirupati, he said both NDDB and NDRI laboratory reports clearly stated that no animal fat was found in the ghee samples, yet a coordinated campaign of flex boards, hoardings, and social media misinformation is being run using photos of Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, Y.V. Subba Reddy, and himself, branding them as "ghee adulteration culprits." He stated this was a planned diversion tactic because people are not believing the false narrative. He further claimed that the SIT found no role for the then TTD board leadership in the adulteration and indicated that certain technical officials, continuing from the previous TDP period, colluded with suppliers. He accused TDP and allied media of shifting narratives and even questioning central agencies after the reports disproved animal fat claims. He maintained that the YSRCP had tightened tender norms, introduced NDDB-linked testing, and pursued in-house ghee production using indigenous cow breeds and scientific testing systems. Bhumana questioned why the Chief Minister continued to repeat allegations even after the Supreme Court-monitored probe found no animal fat, and asked whether provoking public anger and encouraging hostility against YSRCP leaders constituted responsible governance. He said using Lord Venkateswara and sacred prasadam as political tools hurt the sentiments of millions of devotees and constituted a moral wrong. He concluded that people would judge those who used God for political gain and warned that faith should never be compromised for political survival. (ANI)
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