Andhra CM Naidu alleges ‘animal fat’ in Tirupati laddu, YSRCP rubbishes claims

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday, September 18, alleged that animal fat was used to make Tirupati laddus under the previous government run by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). 

"In the past 5 years, YSRCP has diluted the sanctity of Tirumala. They compromised on the quality of 'Annadanam' (free meals) and even gone so far as to use animal fat instead of ghee to make the Tirumala Laddoo,” he said adding that with the regime change, his Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led government was using pure ghee to ‘protect the sanctity of Tirumala’. Naidu made these statements at a NDA legislative party meeting. 

The YSRCP has dubbed the allegations as baseless and evil. Responding to the Chief Minister’s allegations, former Rajya Sabha MP from YSRCP YV Subba Reddy said the comments are ‘very evil’. 

‘It has been proved once again that Chandrababu will not hesitate to do anything bad for the benefit of politics. To strengthen the faith of the devotees, I and my family are ready to take an oath as witnesses of that God in the case of Tirumala Prasad,” he added. 

It is worth noting that even prior to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections which catapulted the TDP (which is in alliance with the Jana Sena Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party) to power, they have accused the YSRCP of mismanaging the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD), the board which regulates the temple. YV Subba Reddy has also served as the chairman of the TTD twice under the YSRCP rule. 

The TDP and the BJP in the past accused YSRCP of appointing Christians and corrupt officials and businessmen in favour with the YSRCP to the TTD board. In August 2023, the Andhra Pradesh wing of the BJP started a campaign titled ‘Our Temple - Our Right’ to protest the appointment of ‘nonbelievers’ and those against whom criminal cases are pending to the governing bodies of Hindu temples.