Tirupati Laddu row: Health Ministry seeks ‘detailed report’ over alleged presence of animal fat in ‘prasadam’
The laddu is given as prasadam to the devotees at the famous Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, which is run by TTD, a body nominated by the state government.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda has requested Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to supply a “detailed report” regarding the controversy over the alleged presence of animal fat in the ghee used to make laddoos offered as ‘prasadam’ on the Tirupati temple. The controversy emerged after a report from a Gujarat laboratory, cited by Naidu’s Telugu Desam Birthday party (TDP), claimed that samples of the ghee used the entire way throughout the tenure of his political rival, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, contained traces of beef tallow, fish oil, and pig fat (lard).
Naidu had claimed on September 18 that in the YSRCP’s rule, the laddu used to be made with substandard ingredients and accused its leaders of tarnishing the sanctity of the hill shrine.
“They compromised on the everyday of ‘Annadanam’ (free meals) and even contaminated the sacred Tirumala Laddu by the use of animal fat in place of ghee,” he said but added that after the change of presidency, the laddu is being made with pure ghee.
YSRCP denies allegations
After the YSRCP rubbished the allegation, the Telugu Desam Birthday party (TDP) cited lab reports, which confirmed the presence of animal fat in the ghee used for making laddus. TDP spokesman Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy displayed a lab report earlier than the media which showed beef tallow, lard (pig fat), and fish oil were present in ghee used for the preparation of Tirupati laddu.
The test, conducted on the Centre of Analysis and Learning in Farm animals and Food (CALF) on the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Gujarat, confirms the presence of foreign fat in the ghee.
YSRCP MP and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam’s (TTD) former Chairman Y. V. Subba Reddy on Thursday offered to swear on the feet of deity to prove his honesty and challenged Chandrababu Naidu to do the same.
Subba Reddy said Naidu’s remarks about sacred prasadam were very offensive and hurt the feelings of Hindus worldwide. The YSRCP leader also warned that he would take legal action, including a defamation suit, and adjusted into ready to move to the Supreme Court, if needed, to supply protection to the feelings of the devotees.
He claimed that the TTD maintained worthwhile standards in preparing the naivedyam and prasadam from 2019 to 2024, and likewise improved the everyday when put next with earlier than 2019. He denied Naidu’s claims of adulteration, clarifying that TTD used handiest pure cow ghee and organic products for the prasadam.
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