SIT Chargesheet in Laddu Ghee Case Sparks Political Sparring in Tirupati
YSRC claims no proof of animal fat use; NDA says report confirms adulteration
Tirupati: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) charge sheet in the Tirumala laddu ghee adulteration case triggered a political confrontation in Tirupati on Friday, with leaders of the NDA alliance and the YSR Congress Party (YSRC) offering sharply divergent interpretations of the findings.
Former TTD Trust Board chairman and senior YSRC leader Bhumana Karunakar Reddy performed a ‘Srinivasa Prasada Ninda Parihara Homam’ at his office premises, stating that the ritual was intended to atone for what he described as an insult to the sanctity of Lord Venkateswara’s laddu prasadam. He said the homam was conducted after the CBI-led SIT charge sheet, according to him, failed to substantiate Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s allegation that animal fats were used in the ghee supplied during the previous YSRC government.
Bhumana alleged that repeated public statements by the NDA government had hurt the sentiments of devotees and damaged the reputation of Tirumala. He questioned the temple steps cleansing programme undertaken by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and claimed that the ghee supplier under investigation had been supplying to TTD since 2013, including during the TD regime between 2014 and 2019.
Rejecting the YSRC’s claims, the NDA alliance said the SIT had not given any clean chit. Addressing a press conference, TD leader and SAAP chairman A. Ravi Naidu said the charge sheet clearly pointed to adulteration and serious irregularities in procurement during the previous regime.
He alleged that synthetic material was manufactured without milk, adulterated with animal fat below 10 per cent to meet prescribed S-value standards, and mixed with chemicals such as acetic acid and lactic acid, as detailed in the 219-page charge sheet. He said conducting religious rituals while claiming exoneration was misleading the public.
BJP State spokesperson and TTD Trust Board member G. Bhanuprakash Reddy said the SIT report established that the material supplied was not ghee but a chemical-based synthetic product. He alleged violations of procurement norms and challenged YSRC leaders to an open debate on decisions taken during their tenure.
