Tirupati laddu row: ‘Bathroom cleaning chemicals’ used in ghee, Chandrababu Naidu now claims
Jagan Mohan Reddy hit back, saying the Andhra Pradesh CM was ‘dragging God into politics’
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu Firing a fresh salvo against Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said that “bathroom cleaning chemicals” were used to adulterate the ghee used for making laddu prasadam at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirupati.
At a public event in Kurnool, Naidu said, “Even in the Srisailam Temple, this adulteration seems to have happened.” Naidu’s statements came after the YSR Congress Party’s leaders accused him of “lying” in connection with his earlier allegations that the Tirupati ghee had been contaminated with beef tallow and lard.
A CBI chargesheet has said tallow and lard were not found in the ghee, but that it was adulterated using plant oils and chemicals.
The adulteration of the Tirupati prasadam is alleged to have taken place during the period between 2019 and 2024, when the YSR Congress Party was in power and Jagan Mohan Reddy was chief minister.
Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party said in a statement, “The latest revelations from the official chargesheet have sparked fresh outrage and deep anguish among devotees Tirupati laddu, exposing the horrifying truth that a toilet cleaning chemical was used to adulterate the sacred Tirupati Laddu,” a statement from TDP read.
The TDP said that as per the chargesheet, one of the accused, Manish Gupta, allegedly prepared invoices in various names during the period March 2022 to May 2024. It is alleged that Pomil Jain (accused no. 3) issued purchase orders directly via informal channels such as WhatsApp to Manish Gupta. During this period, M/s Aristo Chemicals allegedly supplied Lactic Acid and LABSA/Acid Slurry totalling approximately 8,900 kilograms to M/s Harsh Fresh Dairy Products Private Limited and M/s Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk Private Limited(A7).
LABSA is “non-food grade” and “corrosive industrial substance capable of causing severe chemical burns, internal organ damage, and potentially fatal injuries if ingested”, the TDP statement said.
The YSRCP, meanwhile, responded by saying that the TDP and its supremo, CM Naidu, were trying to rile up communal sentiments for political gain. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the party would explore all avenues, including the Supreme Court and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), to expose the “jungle raj” of the coalition government and the “false propaganda” being unleashed in the Tirupati laddu issue.
Reddy said that the CBI, after completing its investigation, has filed a chargesheet clearly stating that there was no animal fat in the ghee used to prepare the laddu. “The chargesheet, backed by reports from two Central laboratories, does not mention the names of anyone associated with the YSRCP,” Reddy said.
“The facts mentioned in the court-monitored CBI report will prevail, and the one-man commission appointed by Chandrababu Naidu is only an eyewash and will not stand any scrutiny,” he said.
“Chandrababu Naidu has been dragging God into politics, and he, along with his son Lokesh and Pawan Kalyan, has been using God for selfish and political gains,” he added.
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