VIJAYAWADA: Accusing the previous YSRCP dispensation of making deliberate attempts and hatching conspiracies to defame Tirumala Venkateswara Swamy temple and hurt the sentiments of crores of people, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asserted that all the facts behind the adulteration of ghee supplies to the TTD will be unravelled and there will be no question of sparing the responsible persons.
Stating that it is our combined responsibility to protect the sanctity of Tirumala, the Chief Minister said that the coalition government will place before the people all the reports including the charge sheet filed by CBI on the Tirumala ghee adulteration case.
The Chief Minister stated that, based on the CBI’s communication, the government has constituted a one-man committee to conduct a comprehensive examination of the report, identify lapses and fix responsibility.
He said that once the committee completes its review, the government will initiate appropriate action in accordance with the findings.
He addressed a press conference after discussing the adulterated ghee issue with leaders of the NDA.
‘Protecting Tirumala sanctity is a collective responsibility’
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, BJP State President PVN Madhav and other Cabinet ministers, including Payyavula Keshav, Nara Lokesh, Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, Kolusu Parthasarathy and Satya Kumar Yadav and TDP State President Palla Srinivasa Rao participated in this meeting held at CM Camp Office on Thursday.
Chandrababu said that the adulteration of Tirumala laddu prasadam is a grave offence against devotees’ faith and asserted that no report has given a clean chit to YSRCP in the matter.
Recalling his long association with Tirumala, the Chief Minister said the Pranadanam programme was launched at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in 2003 and that he survived a claymore mine attack involving 23 mines purely by the grace of the Lord. “That was a rebirth granted to me by Lord Venkateswara,” he said.
The Chief Minister alleged that despite clear warnings from the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in 2022 about adulteration, the report was suppressed and no action was taken.
After assuming office, as part of a comprehensive clean-up, his government collected laddu samples and sent them to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) for testing.
Referring to the SIT and laboratory reports, he said ghee was prepared using chemicals and palm oil and other adulterants calling it a grave wrongdoing and an unforgivable sin. He alleged that lakhs of devotees were given adulterated laddus over the last five years, causing fear and mental distress.
Rejecting claims of a clean chit, the Chief Minister clarified that the CBI report does not certify anywhere that there was no adulteration and said that the accused are spreading false narratives and launching counterattacks to divert attention.
He warned that intimidation and rowdyism would not succeed and asserted that strict punishment would be ensured for the guilty. He added that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has also submitted a report, directing the government to initiate administrative action against the concerned individuals.
The Chief Minister said that the state government will discuss the issue with religious heads and proceed further. He said the previous government failed to take action even though several temples were attacked. Though a theft case was reported in Srivari Parakamani, they tried to dilute it as a minor issue and settle the issue.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said the government speaks with responsibility and caution on sensitive issues of faith.
“No report has given a clean chit so far. Allegations involving animal fat are extremely sensitive and cannot be spoken about lightly,” he said, adding that the government spoke only after examining evidence which was found in the NDDB CALF test report.
He said the issue concerns Hindu faith and sentiments and accused the opposition of attacking the government and spreading false propaganda instead of apologising if mistakes were committed.
He warned that those who tamper with matters of faith and God would ultimately face severe consequences in life.
He said that the previous government failed to take action though several incidents of attacks on temples were reported during its regime. He made it clear that there will be no future for those who tried to defame Lord Venkateswara Swamy. He said instead of tendering an apology, the YSRCP leaders resorted to attacking the government with a false campaign on the Tirumala ghee adulteration case.
BJP State President PVN Madhav slammed YSRCP and said the Tirumala laddu issue reflected “adulterated thinking and corrupt governance” of the previous regime. “Preparing laddus with chemically processed and adulterated ghee is dangerous and deeply hurts devotees’ sentiments and plays with public health. The present government is committed to restoring transparency and sanctity in temple administration,” he said and alleged a scam of Rs 250 crore in ghee adulteration issue.
Minister Payyavula Keshav explained the content of a report submitted by the CBI to the state government.
He said that though the NDDB and CFTRI confirmed adulteration in ghee, the officials failed to take action and as a result they also turned out to be part of the conspiracy.
The NDA leaders reiterated that protecting the sanctity of Lord Venkateswara and Tirumala is a collective responsibility and made it clear that there is no clean chit for YSRCP in the Tirumala laddu adulteration case.