Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to severely reprimand Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for tarnishing the sanctity, integrity, and reputation of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. He accused Naidu of spreading lies that would have far reaching consequences purely for political gains.

Reports, based on the findings from a laboratory analysis conducted by the Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) of the National Dairy Development Board, suggested the presence of adulterants (which could include animal fat) in the ghee used to prepare 'prasadam' at Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh.

Jagan, in a letter dated September 22, said, "His actions have indeed lowered not only the statue of a Chief Minister but also that of everyone in public life and also the sanctity of the world-renowned TTD and its practices. Sir, the entire country looks to you at this critical juncture. It is very imperative that Naidu be reprimanded in a severe way for his shameless act of spreading lies and the truth be brought to light."

The former chief minister stated this would help allay the suspicions that Naidu created in the minds of crores of Hindu devotees and restore faith in the sanctity of the TTD. Jagan alleged that Naidu made the false allegation to divert people’s attention from the failure of his government on all fronts.

“Naidu spread blatant lies against the practices of the TTD by alleging that the ghee that was being used in the preparation of the prasadams in the Tirumala temple was adulterated and that the ghee contained animal fats. This is indeed a lie spread with political motives and this false propaganda has the potential to hurt the sentiments of Hindu devotees across the globe,” the YSRCP chief said.

Jagan mentioned that the tanker containing the possibly adulterated ghee arrived at Tirupati on July 12, 2024, and the same was rejected and the ghee was not used in the preparation of the prasadam. "The robust practices in place for decades in TTD could identify the questionable quality and therefore the ghee was not used. Despite this comforting scenario, Naidu chose to callously make a remark that Tirumala Laddus were made with animal fats and not with ghee.”

The YSRCP leader explained in detail the robustness of the policies and procedures that the TTD has been following in its procurement for the past several decades. He claimed the same procedure was followed from 2014-2019, when the TDP was in power, and that the question of sub-standard material being used in the preparation of prasadam does not arise.

“The organisation that meets the qualification criteria gets selected on the basis of the price of the ghee quoted, which is the bidding parameter. Once the tender process is complete and the supplier who has quoted the lowest is selected,” he said. adding that there were several instances in the past when ghee tankers were rejected.

He pointed out that the Board of Trustees is vested with the power to oversee the administration of the TTD and the state government has little role in the management of the affairs of the Tirumala Venkateswara temple. “It is noteworthy that some of the current members of the TTD board are also affiliated to the BJP as well. The alleged report from the NDDB CALF Ltd contains serious disclaimers. The report conveys that milk fat being obtained from cows which received an exceptionally high feeding of pure vegetable oils, cotton or palm oils, or from cows that are suffering from energy deficiency, could result in an incorrect or false positive result,” Jagan said.

(With inputs from IANS)