The long-simmering controversy surrounding Tirupati laddus resurfaced on Friday after an Andhra Pradesh minister claimed that adulteration of the sacred prasadam began after 2019, alleging that crucial laboratory findings were ignored by the previous government. The remarks have reignited political sparring between the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), even as a recent CBI chargesheet offers a more nuanced conclusion.
Minister Points To Suppressed CFTRI Findings
Addressing the media, the minister asserted that “Evidences present that laddu adulteration began after 2019,” referring to ghee samples that were tested by the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru, in 2022. According to him, those analyses confirmed adulteration but were allegedly not acted upon or made public by the then YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government.
The statement comes months after the controversy first erupted in September 2024, when Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that animal fat had been used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus during the previous regime. The claim triggered outrage across the country, with devotees expressing shock and anger over the possibility that the sanctity of the revered prasadam had been compromised.
Opposition Rejects Claims, Cites Chargesheet
Opposition leaders have pushed back strongly against the renewed allegations. YSRCP leaders RK Roja and M Manohar Reddy cited the findings of the final chargesheet to counter Naidu’s claims. They argued that the investigation “categorically confirms there was no animal fat, no pig fat, and no fish oil” in the ghee supplied to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
According to them, the chargesheet—prepared under judicial supervision—disproved accusations made not only by Naidu but also by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. YSRCP leaders described the document as a “decisive blow” to what they termed a politically motivated narrative designed to target the previous government and inflame religious sentiment.
CBI Findings On Laddu Row
The Central Bureau of Investigation, in its final chargesheet filed on January 23 before the Anti-Corruption Bureau court in Nellore, concluded that no beef tallow or lard was used in the ghee supplied to TTD between 2019 and 2024. However, the agency did not give a clean chit on the quality of the ingredients.
The CBI report highlighted collusion between dairy experts and ghee manufacturers, stating that what was supplied as ghee was, in reality, chemically processed palmolein oil and other adulterated substances. A Special Investigation Team named 36 accused, including nine TTD officials and five dairy experts, underscoring systemic lapses in procurement and oversight.
While YSRCP leaders seized on the absence of animal fat to defend their record, the ruling TDP maintained that the investigation had “proved” adulteration. The party argued that the findings validated its claims of wrongdoing and asserted that corrective measures under the current government were aimed at restoring trust and “cleansing” temple practices.
