YSRCP spokesperson and former Minister Ambati Rambabu on Monday, November 10, accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of making the “most malicious and irresponsible” charge against the previous Jagan-led government last year by alleging that animal fat was used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus. The shocking allegation had triggered widespread outrage against former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy, and his role was seen with a lens of suspicion as he belonged to the Christian community.
The SIT investigating the case has now found that Bhole Baba Dairy, an Uttarakhand-based company, supplied nearly 60 lakh kg of adulterated ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) at the cost of Rs 240 crore between 2019 and 2024. However, the SIT has not said anything regarding beef tallow being used in the ghee.
The ghee supplied by Bhole Baba Dairy was allegedly made by mixing adulterants such as palm oil, palm kernel oil, palmolein, chemicals such as beta-carotene, acetic acid ester, ghee flavour, and other adulterants. It was made in such a way as to “adjust” lab test values and to “maintain aroma” in the adulterated ghee, the SIT has found.
Sharing a news report of the incident on X (Twitter), Minister Nara Lokesh claimed that the SIT has “exposed the truth.”
“The guilty will face the full weight of the law. This isn’t adulteration - it is a deliberate assault on the faith of Hindus, a desecration of our belief, and a crime against the soul of Bharat. Those who played with the sacred must pay the price,” he said.
Responding to this, Ambati said that it is Lokesh’s father who should be punished for making unsubstantiated allegations that hurt the sentiments of Hindu devotees. He said that the allegation made by CM Naidu was not a mistake but a “calculated lie aimed at provoking emotions and misleading devotees.”
“Naidu should be in the witness box today, explaining why he played with the faith of crores of people without a single piece of evidence. No lab report. No forensic proof. No investigation. Nothing supported his wild claim. If anyone must be held accountable for hurting religious sentiments, it is Chandrababu Naidu himself,” the YSRCP leader said.
A major political row erupted in 2024 over the Tirupati laddus after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), in coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), came to power in Andhra Pradesh. After finding adulteration in four samples of ghee supplied to TTD, CM Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan, and others in the ruling coalition alleged that the ghee being used at the Hindu pilgrimage site was being adulterated with beef tallow and other substances. Previously, lab reports had shown beef tallow and lard as two of the several possible impurities including coconut, sunflower, and olive oils. Experts had said that the reports do not conclusively establish the presence of animal fats in the ghee samples.
Ambati said that the then TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy had blacklisted Bhole Baba Dairy after irregularities were found. “These are documented facts. So how can anyone claim that Subba Reddy was hand in glove with the same company when he was the one who exposed the problem and shut the door on them completely? Their allegation falls apart the moment real facts are brought forward,” he said.
Ambati alleged that despite the propaganda being exposed, the TDP machinery has renewed the toxic campaign.
“TDP aligned fake media handles are posting identical scripts, repeating the same baseless claims about monodiglycerides and acetic acid esters. The timing, the copy paste messaging and the coordinated push show exactly what this is. A pre planned political smear. Nothing more,” he said.
The sole aim of the TDP was to drag Tirumala into their dirty politics and attack the YSRCP, he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, who had observed a 11-day penance over the alleged mixing of animal fat in the Tirupati laddu, said that the prasadam is not just a sweet. “It is a shared emotion – we distribute it among friends, family and strangers alike, for it embodies our collective belief and profound faith. On average, nearly 2.5 crore devotees visit Tirumala every year. And when the sentiments and practices of Sanatanis are mocked or undermined, it is not merely hurtful; it shatters the trust and devotion of millions around the world.”
Reiterating his demand for the establishment of a Sanatana Dharma Parirakshana Board, he said that secularism must be a two-way street. “Protection and respect for our faith cannot be negotiable. Our Sanatana Dharma is one of the oldest and ever-evolving civilizations and it’s high time we establish the Sanatana Dharma Parirakshana Board with the consensus of all the stakeholders,” he wrote.