Reacting to the allegations of “animal fat” in the ghee used by the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) in preparing laddus for the Tirumala temple, Opposition leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy accused Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of making “wild allegations” in a bid to divert the attention of the people from his alleged failure in fulfilling his poll promises.
“He knows very well that during the course of these 100 days Chandrababu Naidu failed in every promise he made to the people during the election campaign,” Jagan said addressing the media on Friday, September 20.
The TDP-Jana Sena-BJP government-led by Chandrababu Naidu completed its 100 days in office on September 20, and have accused the previous Jagan government of handing over the tender at a cheap rate, which led to the adulteration.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged that animal fat was found in the ghee used to make the Tirupati prasadam. The TTD released an 8-page document of the test on two ghee samples.
The test found that the sample was likely adulterated with ingredients like soya bean, sunflower, rapeseed, olive, linseed, wheat germ, maize germ, cotton seed, fish oil, coconut, palm kernel fat, palm oil, beef tallow or lard.
“Can anyone do such an evil thing?”Jagan asked. “Is it justified for a Chief Minister to tell such lies?”
CM Chandrababu Naidu hurt sentiments of devotees
Jagan said that Chandrababu has hurt the sentiments of scores of devotees with his “malicious” allegations.
Reading out the test results shared by the TTD, Jagan stressed that the report also mentions that false positive results are also possible in some cases. The report mentions: “there are chances of false positive results in certain cases. These false positives can emerge if the samples are obtained from bovine milk other than cow milk, obtained from single cows or from cows overfed on pure vegetable oils, underfed cows or cows subjected to treatments such as removal of cholesterol.”
The YSRCP has already demanded a judicial inquiry into the allegations made by the CM. The former CM said that he will also write to the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice regarding the issue.
Read: Tirupati laddu ghee adulteration row: What the lab reports say
Jagan alleged that the Chandrababu Naidu government conducted tests on failed samples and is creating hysteria by alleging that adulterated ingredients were being used in the laddus and prasadam offered in the temple. The YSRCP president said that the government has tarnished the sanctity of the temple with their allegations.
Jagan also raised suspicion over the timing of the report’s release. “When the test was conducted on July 23, why was it released from TDP’s office coinciding with the date of 100-days rule?” he questioned.
To divert the attention of the people from his failures in delivering the promises made in the election manifesto, the CM has stooped down to “tarnishing” the image and reputation of Tirumala, the former CM said.
TTD has a robust system in place
Ruling out the possibility of any mismanagement, Jagan said that TTD is a renowned board comprising high-esteemed individuals recommended by central ministers and CMs of other states.
He claimed that under YSRCP rule, the research and quality control was enhanced. We associated with Central Food Technological Research Institute, spruced up the labs and senior employees were also recruited.”
Jagan alleged that a routine practice of giving tenders under their government has been “twisted” for political gains. “This process is not new. Every six months, the TTD calls for tenders. Routinely people who have been selected as L1 will be awarded the contract to supply the ingredients used in preparation of the laddus. The criteria for this selection was not recent, they have been in practice for decades,” Jagan said.
He said that the quality control system of the TTD is robust, adding that every tanker which brings in the ingredients is allowed into Tirumala only after obtaining a certificate from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. “The process does not stop there. The TTD later mandatorily conducts three tests collecting samples from all the tankers. Only after clearing the tests, are they allowed to go inside the temple,” he clarified. He added that TTD is an autonomous institution.
Jagan said that it is unfortunate that despite such robust testing in place, the Chief Minister resorted to “lies.” “Even during Chandrababu Naidu’s regime between 2014-19, 14 times tankers were rejected. During our regime also 18 times the ingredients were rejected.”