 Summary of this article
- Supreme Court-constituted SIT finds violations at multiple stages, from tendering to procurement
- YSRCP says SIT debunked allegations of animal fat in ghee.
- TDP says SIT vindicates its stand; New Commission to pinpoint official lapses
The Tirupati laddu—the sacred prasadam of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple—has long symbolised divine blessing and spiritual fulfilment for crores of devotees. But the very laddu that embodies faith and salvation has, in recent years, been dragged into the political arena. With fresh developments rekindling the controversy, it is now clear that the politicking around the sacred prasadam is far from over.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which looked into the allegation of adulteration in ghee used to make laddus, has recently submitted its report to the Andhra Pradesh government, triggering fresh political sparring between the ruling coalition and the opposition. Amid mounting allegations and counter-allegations, the government has announced its decision to appoint a single-member commission to examine the SIT’s findings.
Charge-counter charge
The YSR Congress Party claims the report indicates that irregularities began well before it came to power, rejecting any attempt to pin responsibility on its tenure. The ruling Telugu Desam Party, however, argues that the SIT findings amount to a direct indictment of the previous YSRCP government and its associates.
Following the state cabinet’s decision to constitute the commission, leaders of the NDA in Andhra Pradesh held a meeting on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and the BJP state president. According to sources, discussions focused on the framework and mandate of the proposed commission, though the government is yet to finalise its terms of reference.
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Allegations of adulteration in the Tirupati laddu have been simmering for years . The SIT report confirms adulteration in the ghee used for preparing the laddu, stating that supplies to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) contained vegetable oils, chemical esters, and synthetic substances. The findings have since sparked a fierce political confrontation between the TDP and the opposition YSRCP.
The Naidu government’s move to appoint a single-member commission has further intensified the political battle surrounding the sacred prasadam, signalling that the controversy is set to remain a flashpoint in Andhra Pradesh politics.
Bitter history
The Tirupati laddu, believed to have been introduced in the 18th century, turned into a major political flashpoint after Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the ghee used in its preparation had been adulterated. In September 2024, Naidu accused the previous administration of actions that led to the contamination, claiming the ghee contained beef tallow, fish oil, and pig lard. The allegations triggered a massive uproar in Andhra Pradesh and provoked strong reactions from devotees across the country.
In response to the controversy, the state government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT). However, following intervention by the Supreme Court, a new SIT was formed, which subsequently took over the probe from the earlier team. Even before the submission of the SIT report, a laboratory analysis by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) had flagged the presence of foreign fats in the ghee, intensifying concerns.
According to the findings cited in the investigation, a batch of ghee supplied by a dairy in Tamil Nadu failed to meet prescribed quality standards, further fuelling the political and public debate over the sanctity of the Tirupati laddu.
What the report says
The SIT report names former YSR Congress Party MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, and senior Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) officials—Anil Kumar Singhal (then Executive Officer), A.V. Dharma Reddy (then Additional Executive Officer), and O. Balaji—for their alleged roles in the lapses flagged by the investigation.
According to the report, violations occurred at multiple stages, ranging from changes in tender conditions to the procurement and supply of ghee, raising serious questions about oversight and accountability within the TTD’s administrative structure. The committee found that key changes to tender conditions were introduced in 2020 without adequate study or due diligence.
These modifications, the SIT noted, enabled previously ineligible companies to participate in the bidding process. Among the major changes highlighted were the dilution of eligibility norms, including reducing the minimum turnover requirement from Rs 250 crore to Rs 150 crore and cutting the mandatory dairy-sector experience from three years to one year. The report also flagged the role of “special invitees” in the tendering and procurement process, which it said contributed to multiple procedural violations.
Together, these findings, the SIT concluded, point to systemic deviations in procurement norms that facilitated the alleged adulteration of ghee used in the Tirupati laddu.
Claiming vindication, TDP spokesperson Jyotsna Tirunagari said the SIT report had confirmed what the party had been alleging all along. “This is no longer just an allegation. The SIT report has vindicated our stand,” she said. According to her, the investigation found that individuals who were not members of the board were allowed to participate in key meetings and that several irregular decisions were taken during the previous YSRCP government’s tenure. “Such misdeeds cannot happen without the backing of the ruling party,” she alleged.
Tirunagari said the government has decided to constitute a commission to identify individual lapses and take corrective action. “YSRCP’s involvement is no longer our allegation; it is recorded in the SIT report. Why were the tender norms changed? The report even mentions money trafficking. We are now waiting for the constitution of the commission,” she added.
The SIT report also notes that the then TTD chairman, Y.V. Subba Reddy, was aware of the adulteration but approved further procurement of ghee from the same dairies accused of supplying substandard material. However, the SIT stopped short of naming him as an accused. The government is expected to await the findings of the proposed single-member commission before initiating any action against political figures.
Y.V. Subba Reddy is currently a Rajya Sabha member and the uncle of YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, a fact that adds another political layer to the ongoing controversy.
The YSR Congress Party, however, maintains that the adulteration predates its tenure and has questioned the government’s intent in constituting a separate commission. “The allegation of animal fat has been debunked by the SIT. As for adulteration, the process began when Chandrababu Naidu was in power. Bhole Baba Dairy was empanelled during the TDP regime in 2018, and the SIT itself has named it,” said YSRCP spokesperson Karthik Yellappagrada.
He also raised questions over the legal propriety of the move, asking how a state government could set up its own commission after the Supreme Court had intervened in the matter. “Is the government unhappy that the SIT rejected its claims about animal fat in the ghee?” he asked.
The Tirupati ghee adulteration issue is once again emerging as a charged political flashpoint in Andhra Pradesh, with rival parties interpreting the SIT report as vindication of their respective positions. With the proposed one-member commission set to take shape, the controversy is likely to continue shaping political discourse in the state in the coming days. How the Supreme Court views the SIT findings and the government’s decision to constitute the commission will also be closely watched. |
