YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has criticised the current Chief Minister, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, over his comments on the preparation of the famous Tirumala laddu.
At a press conference on Friday, Jagan accused Naidu of playing “low-level politics” by claiming that the ingredients used in the sacred prasadam (laddu) at the Tirumala temple were adulterated. Naidu had alleged that animal fat was being used instead of ghee.
Jagan dismissed these claims as false. He said that such accusations were misleading the public and hurting the sentiments of millions of devotees. He explained that the preparation of the laddu has remained unchanged for many years. Every batch of ghee used in the laddu is certified by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) conducts its own tests before approving the ingredients.
Jagan further pointed out that during Naidu’s tenure as Chief Minister, the TTD had rejected prasadam samples 14 to 15 times between 2014 and 2019. In comparison, 18 samples have been rejected under Jagan’s own government. He questioned why Naidu did not raise this issue earlier, noting that samples were tested in July 2019 when Naidu was still in office, but he had remained silent at that time.
Jagan then accused Naidu of damaging the reputation of the TTD and diminishing the sanctity of the Tirumala temple for political purposes. He announced that letters would be sent to both the Chief Justice of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking their intervention in the matter.
Jagan also highlighted that his government has made significant contributions to temple restoration and the establishment of new temples under the TTD, in places like Hyderabad, Chennai, Jammu, and Bhubaneswar.
In closing, Jagan urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to take a stand against Naidu’s “false claims.” He also criticised Naidu for dragging religious institutions into political controversies. Jagan emphasised that the TTD is a prestigious organisation, with a more complex appointment process than even the cabinet, and its purpose is to serve the deity, not to be used as a political tool.
