Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh chief minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, stirred controversy on Wednesday by asserting that the YSRCP regime between 2019 and 2024 used animal fat to prepare the highly revered Tirupati Laddu prasadam.
“The Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala is our most sacred temple. I am shocked to learn that the Jagan's administration used animal fat instead of ghee in the Tirupati Prasadam. Shame on Jagan and the YSRCP government that couldn’t respect the religious sentiments of crores of devotees,” Naidu told a meeting of NDA public representatives.
YSRCP reacted sharply to Naidu's accusations. “Chandrababu Naidu committed a great sin by damaging the sanctity of the divine temple Tirumala and the faith of hundreds of crores of Hindus. Naidu's remarks regarding Tirumala Prasadam are truly vile. No one born of human birth speaks such words or makes such accusations. It has been proved once again that he will not hesitate to go down to any level for the benefit of politics. To strengthen the faith of the devotees, I and my family are ready to take an oath as witnesses of that God in the case of Tirumala Prasadam. Is Naidu also ready to take oath with his family?” asked YV Subba Reddy, YSRCP Rajya Sabha member and former chairman of TTD, the board that manages Tirumala Hill shrine.
During the YSRCP regime, the iconic Laddu prasadam faced scrutiny and controversy, with the TDP frequently criticizing its alleged severe compromise in quality. TTD recently conducted an in-house assessment in consultation with dairy experts and discovered that quality ghee plays a major role in determining the taste of 'Srivari laddus'.
TTD did not have proper labs, and private labs did not properly test cheese quality in the last few years. To assess the quality of ghee, TTD recently established a new sensory perception laboratory and is training its staff at a quality training institute in Mysore.