Tirupati: TDP Accuses Previous YSRCP Govt Of Using 'Beef Tallow, Animal Fat’ For Making Laddus

TIRUPATI: A massive row erupted after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu accused the previous YSR Congress government led by his predecessor Jagan Mohan Reddy of using animal fat in consecrated sweets - 'Tirupati Prasadam' instead of 'Ghee' at Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati.

The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) claimed that lab reports of samples sent from Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam show that the world renowned consecrated sweet Tirupati laddus contain “beef tallow, fish oil” and other substandard ingredients.

In another startling revelation, the purported lab report also claimed the presence of “lard” (relating to pig fat) in the samples.

The samples of the Tirupati laddu were sent to a Gujarat-based livestock laboratory so as to determine the ingredients used in making the sweets which are distributed to crores of followers who visit the Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala.

The lab received the samples on July 9, 2024 and published the reports a week later, i.e on July 16.

This is not the first time questions have been raised on the prasadam distributed at the Tirumala temple. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has, in the past, harshly criticiZed the alleged severe compromise in its quality.

Meanwhile, YSRCP spokesperson Narayanan Murthy denied the allegations by calling them baseless. He warned that they will approach the court and challenged CM Naidu to prove his claims.

He also accused the Andhra CM of hurting the sentiments of the people and insulting Hindus.

YSCRP Rajya Sabha MP Y V Subba Reddy further clarified that 60 kg of ghee was used on a daily basis to make the laddus during the tenure of YSCRP.

"For the past three years, we have implemented the use of organic products, including ghee, in TTD. For ghee, we source it from Rajasthan, using desi cows, with the help of donors," Reddy said.

Notably, the Tirupati temple is devoted to Lord Venkateswara, a manifestation of Lord Vishnu who is believed to have come to earth to deliver humanity from the trials and tribulations of the Kali Yuga. As a result, the location has been given the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntha, and the deity is known as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam.

ALSO READ: Company Fires Employee For Blaming Rats For Hole In Delhi-Mumbai Highway

ALSO WATCH: