VIJAYAWADA: Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has strongly condemned the use of adulterated ghee in the preparation of Tirumala’s sacred laddu prasadam, describing it as a grave crime and sacrilege against the Hindu faith.
Speaking during a short discussion on “Sacrilege of Holy Laddu Prasadam of Lord Venkateswara Swamy with adulterated ghee, hurting the religious sentiments of crores of devotees”, he said that those responsible must face punishment and the coalition government will ensure accountability.
He stated that the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) report confirmed the presence of animal fat in the ghee, while the SIT investigation under CBI leadership found that the substance supplied was not ghee at all, but a mixture of palm oil and chemicals.
“This was a planned conspiracy to desecrate Srivari prasadam,” he said, adding that the SIT charge sheet identified 36 accused and revealed that tender rules were deliberately altered to favour certain companies.
Pawan Kalyan noted that between 2019 and 2024, nearly 68 lakh kg of adulterated ghee was used, resulting in 20.10 crore laddus made with spurious material. He said that over 11 crore devotees received prasadam prepared with chemical substitutes, including laddus distributed during the Ayodhya Ram Mandir inauguration.
“To say there was no adulteration is misleading. SIT has clearly stated that not a single litre of milk was used in the so-called ghee,” he observed.
He criticised the previous TTD Board and its supporters, holding them fully responsible for the wrongdoing. He warned that if attacks on Hindu dharma are not condemned unanimously—transcending language, caste, and region—such practices will continue. The Deputy Chief Minister asserted that, had it been another faith, the entire country and even the world would have reacted strongly.
He emphasised that temple wealth belongs to the deity and those who misuse it will face consequences.
Quoting from Amuktamalyada of Sri Krishnadevaraya, he reminded that those who collect money for kings should never be placed in charge of temples.
“Those who robbed the Lord’s money will see their generations destroyed. The longer they drag this case, the heavier their sin becomes,” he said.
Earlier initiating the short discussion, Endowment Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy explained the background of the case, origin of complaint and registration of FIR, constitution and reconstitution of SIT, Ghee procurement system and tender framework, evolution of tender conditions (2014-19), relaxation of tender conditions in 2020, entry of private dairies and impact on competition, tender of 2024 and pricing concerns, laboratory findings and detection of adulteration, modus operandi and criminal conspiracy,.
He also elaborated on systemic deficiencies in procurement monitoring, filing of charge sheet and legal proceedings, administration lapses identified, role of officials in tender relaxation, impact on Quality Assurance an public trust, constitution of One-Man Committee, Corrective Measures initiated by TTD, Strengthening of Food Safety Systems, proposed Administrative Reforms, institutional strengthening and infrastructure development, significance of the case, need for disciplinary and administrative action.
Several legislators spoke during the short discussion, heavily criticising the YSRCP and previous TTD administration.