YSRCP seeks probe by Andhra HC into Naidu’s claim of animal fat in Tirupati laddu

HYDERABAD: The row over animal fat in the Tirupati laddu took a new turn on Friday with the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) approaching the Andhra Pradesh High Court to seek a probe into the allegations.

The YSRCP lawyers mentioned before a High Court bench the allegation made by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu about the presence of animal fat in Tirumala laddu prasadam and requested an inquiry by a sitting judge or a High Court-appointed committee.

The High Court, however, suggested filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by Wednesday and the arguments will be heard on that day.

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.

Naidu had claimed on September 18 that during 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 quality of 'Annadanam' (free meals) and even contaminated the sacred Tirumala Laddu by using animal fat instead of ghee," he said but added that after the change of government, the laddu is being made with pure ghee.

After the YSRCP rubbished the allegation, the Telugu Desam 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 before the media which showed beef tallow, lard (pig fat), and fish oil were found in ghee used for the preparation of Tirupati laddu.

The test, conducted at the Centre of Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) at 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 at 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 was ready to go to the Supreme Court, if needed, to protect the sentiments of the devotees. He claimed that the TTD maintained the highest standards in preparing the naivedyam and prasadam from 2019 to 2024, and also improved the quality compared to before 2019. He denied Naidu's claims of adulteration, clarifying that TTD used only pure cow ghee and organic products for the prasadam.