The controversy surrounding the alleged use of contaminated ghee in the making of sacred laddu prasadam for the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala intensified on Friday after the temple trust’s reiteration of the allegations made by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the body overseeing the temple’s operations, stated that ghee suppliers exploited the absence of in-house adulteration testing facilities and did not utilise external services.
TTD Executive Officer Shyamala Rao noted that laboratory tests had detected the presence of animal fat and lard in selected samples.
“Now the reason for the lack of quality is not having an in-house lab, sending the samples to outside labs for testing and unviable rates,” he said.
Rao mentioned that the lab result showed the sample was also compromised with lard or pig fat.
“All the four reports off samples gave similar results. So we immediately stopped the supplies. And the blacklisting of the contractor was initiated and the procedure to impose penalties would also be initiated. Now, the legal process will start,” he added.
Former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy criticised his successor, stating that ‘Naidu is the type of person who would exploit religion for political advantage.’
Calls for an unbiased probe into the matter have been sparked by the uproar. In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, President of the Andhra Pradesh Congress YS Sharmila urged that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) look into the claims.
She urged Shah to immediately begin an investigation, stating, “If the allegations are proven true, it will be an act of desecration of the highest order, and those responsible must be held accountable.”
Union Health Minister JP Nadda stated that the central government is awaiting a comprehensive report on the matter and will take necessary measures once the facts are verified.
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