In response to claims that pig fat was present in the ghee used for making the laddoos that are served as "prasadam" to the deity at the Tirupati temple and to the millions of visitors who come there each year, Union Health Minister JP Nadda has urged Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for a "detailed report."
Meanwhile, Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution, demanded a comprehensive investigation. "Whatever the Chief Minister said is a matter of serious concern. A detailed inquiry is required, and the culprit should be punished."
Chandrababu Naidu claimed that during the previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu (YSR) Congress Party's rule, pig fat was mixed with ghee used in the prasadam at the Tirupati temple.
Anam Venkatararamana Reddy, the spokesperson for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), released copies of a document to the public, claiming it to be the results of testing carried out on Prasadam at the National Dairy Development Board in Gujarat.
According to this document, the "sample," in this instance, Tirupati prasadam, did in fact contain beef tallow, lard, and fish oil.
This week, Mr. Naidu's Telugu Desam Party highlighted a July study from a government-run lab in Gujarat that said there were residues of cow tallow, fish oil, and pig fat, or lard, in samples of the ghee used during the tenure of his competitor, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the leader of the YSR Congress Party.
The YSRCP has been severely criticized by Chandrababu Naidu and his deputy, Jana Sena Party leader Pawan Kalyan.
Union Minister and National General Secretary Sanjay Bandi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—aligned with the TDP and Jana Sena in the center—has called it an "unforgivable
sin."
He also asserted a communal perspective, claiming that "few people from other religions (had been) inducted" into the board, which was the reason behind the adulteration of the ghee.
A police case should be filed against the former Chief Minister, demanded Bhanu Prakash Reddy, a BJP MP who served on the board of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, the government trust that oversees the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other locations in the state.
Meanwhile, the YSR Congress has responded strongly to the barrage of accusations.
After serving as the TTD Chairperson for four years, Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy said that it is "unimaginable to even say 'animal fat was used in consecrated food offered daily to the deity and in laddoos given to devotees'".
For making the "heinous" claim, Mr. Reddy slammed the Chief Minister. Additionally, Mr. Reddy said Chandrababu Naidu was the one who, by making such ludicrous remarks, had undermined the temple's sacredness and negatively impacted millions of followers.
