VIJAYAWADA: “The YSRCP committed a grave sin by preparing Tirumala laddu prasadam using chemicals. The YSRCP is indulging in toxic propaganda by suppressing key facts in the SIT report. The report nowhere states that there was no animal fat. The ghee used in the laddus was not real ghee at all,” asserted Jana Sena Paty chief and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.
Addressing the JSP general body meeting at Mangalagiri on Monday, Pawan Kalyan alleged that the previous YSRCP regime had gravely hurt the religious sentiments of crores of devotees by permitting adulterated and chemically manufactured substances in the preparation of laddu prasadam. He said the issue was not merely political in nature but related to faith, morality and public accountability.
Referring to the SIT report, he accused YSRCP leaders of deliberately suppressing key findings, and spreading misinformation to mislead devotees. He maintained that the report neither gave a clean chit nor categorically ruled out the presence of animal fat. “Selective interpretation of the report to project half-truths and claim innocence amounts to toxic propaganda,” he charged.
Questioning the procurement process, Pawan Kalyan pointed out that the dairies which supplied ghee to Tirumala neither owned cows nor maintained records of milk or butter procurement. He said even quality sesame oil was not available at `400 per kg, raising serious doubts over claims that pure cow ghee was supplied at such rates. “When basic inputs themselves are absent, how can genuine ghee be produced? This clearly establishes large-scale adulteration,” he remarked.
He alleged that around 60 lakh kg of adulterated or synthetic ghee was supplied during the YSRCP regime, and used in the preparation of crores of laddus distributed as prasadam. Irregular procurement practices led to a loss of `233 crore to Tirumala temple funds, amounting to both financial impropriety and moral wrongdoing, the JSP chief said.
He recalled that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had earlier disclosed details of the alleged adulteration based on a report submitted by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which highlighted serious procedural lapses in procurement and quality control mechanisms. Later, it adopted a resolution seeking a detailed discussion in the State Legislative Assembly on the alleged use of adulterated ghee in Tirumala laddu prasadam.