Massive Ghee adulteration scam with harmful chemicals during YSRCP rule, an ''insult to Hindus’: TTD

In a scathing attack on the YSRCP, TTD Chairman B R Naidu on Friday alleged that a massive ghee adulteration scam involving harmful chemicals had taken place during the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government in the preparation of laddu prasadam in the famous Tirumala temple.

In a scathing attack on the YSRCP, TTD Chairman B R Naidu on Friday alleged that a 'massive ghee adulteration scam' involving harmful chemicals had taken place during the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government in the preparation of laddu prasadam in the famous Tirumala temple. He also termed this alleged adulteration as an ''insult to Hindus''. According to BR Naidu, nearly 60 lakh kilograms of adulterated ghee, valued at approximately Rs 250 crore, was supplied to TTD during the previous government. Addressing a press conference in Tirupati, the TTD chairman said the CBI-led SIT chargesheet, which was filed in the Nellore ACB Court recently, nails the alleged sacrilege, loot and betrayal of crores of devotees. ''Massive ghee adulteration scam with harmful chemicals in Srivari laddu during YSRCP rule an insult to Hindus. SIT chargesheet nails sacrilege, loot of TTD and betrayal of crores of devotees,'' said BR Naidu. Calling the alleged ''ghee adulteration a huge commission-based scam'', he accused the previous government of awarding tenders to companies with no cattle and milk production facilities to supply ghee. According to the TTD chairman, the previous YSRCP regime had manipulated ghee procurement tenders, altered eligibility conditions and awarded contracts to ineligible and incapable firms. ''Companies with no cattle, no production facilities, and no capacity to manufacture pure ghee were handed tenders purely for commissions,'' he alleged. ''Tests conducted by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) confirmed the presence of animal fat in the ghee supplied during the YSRCP tenure,'' said BR Naidu. Using this allegedly adulterated ghee, he said 20 crore laddus were prepared, amounting to one of the most shocking acts of ''sacrilege'' in the history of Tirumala. ''This was not negligence. This was a commission-driven scam that directly assaulted the faith of crores of Hindu devotees,'' he asserted. Expressing serious concern, the chairman warned that certain chemicals found in the adulterated ghee were highly dangerous, posing risks to public health, and underscored that claiming ghee production capabilities without owning even a single cow is outright fraud. Holding the YSRCP leadership and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directly responsible, BR Naidu alleged that the systematic plunder of TTD over the last five years, alluding to YSRCP regime, reflects ''deep contempt for Hindu temples and traditions''. ''Hindu Gods, temples, and sentiments were repeatedly insulted during this period. Those responsible must unconditionally apologise to the Hindu community,'' he demanded. Rejecting alleged propaganda around so-called 'clean chit' by YSRCP leaders to the previous government in the wake of the CBI-led SIT filing its final chargesheet, the chairman insisted that micro-DNA testing is essential to establish the complete truth in the laddu ghee adulteration case. He also urged the SIT to conduct a thorough investigation into alleged multi-crore bank transactions and identify benami accounts to expose the real beneficiaries behind the scam. ''This massive scandal surfaced only after the present coalition government assumed office. There will be zero compromise in protecting the sanctity of Tirumala and the purity of Srivari laddu,'' BR Naidu affirmed. Recently, the SIT had filed the final chargesheet in Nellore ACB Court, naming 36 people as accused, including nine TTD officials, five dairy experts and others in the ghee adulteration case. The chargesheet noted that dairy experts had allegedly colluded with the ghee manufacturers and observed that the original material which was sold to the temple body as ghee was not at all ghee but chemically processed palmolein oil and other ingredients. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had claimed in September 2024 that animal fat was used in preparing Tirupati laddus during the previous regime in the state, triggering a massive political row. During an NDA legislative party meeting in the state in 2024, Naidu had alleged that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fats for making laddus, which are revered and sought after by crores of devotees.

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