Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu has alleged that “animal fat” and substandard ingredients were used to make the famous Tirupati laddu during the Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
During an NDA legislature party meeting in Amaravati on Wednesday, Naidu said: “Even Tirumala laddu was made with substandard ingredients...they used animal fat instead of ghee.”
He asserted that pure ghee was now being used, and everything had been sanitised at the temple, leading to improved quality.
However, the Jagan-led YSRC party has denied the charges.
The Tirupati Laddu prasadam is offered at the revered Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
In a post on social media platform X, Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh said: “The Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala is our most sacred temple. I am shocked to learn that the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy administration used animal fat instead of ghee in the Tirupati Prasadam.”
Targeting the previous YSRCP government, Lokesh alleged that it could not respect the religious sentiments of crores of devotees.
YSRCP leader YV Subba Reddy, who served as the chairman of TTD for two terms, said that Chandrababu Naidu's “malicious” comments had severely damaged the sanctity of the holy Tirumala and the faith of crores of Hindus.
“His comments about the Tirumala prasadam are extremely malicious. No person would speak such words or make such accusations,” said Subba Reddy in a post on X.
TDP leader Pattabhi Ram Kommareddy said that it is known that between 2019 and 2024, Jagan Mohan Reddy, as Chief Minister, had appointed his own uncles as Chairman of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.
“We all know that between 2019 and 2024, Jagan Mohan Reddy as Chief Minister, had appointed his own uncles as Chairman of TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam). YV Subba Reddy and Karunakar Reddy, both of whom are close family members of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. By appointing his own uncles in TTD, he started looting TTD funds,” said Kommareddy. “Immediately after we came into power, we ordered a vigilance inquiry in TTD and in a preliminary report which was submitted by the vigilance department, it was stated that funds to the tune of ₹530 crore were looted also in the same report, it was stated that the ghee which was used to make the prasadam, had even bypassed the lab test and there are traces that animal fat had been used to make the prasadam of Lord Balaji in Tirumala,” he added.
