Animal fat in Tirupati laddoos row: Naidu government cites report
Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party has criticized the YSR Congress Party for the use of ghee containing animal fats in the preparation of laddoos offered as prasad at the Tirupati Temple. A report from the Centre of Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food—part of the National Dairy Development Board in Gujarat—confirmed the presence of animal fat in the ghee used for the famous Tirupati laddoos during the YSRCP's governance, including traces of fish oil, beef tallow, and lard.
Naidu's allegations at legislature party meetngs
At a legislature party meeting in Amravati on Wednesday, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged, "Even Tirupati laddoo was made with substandard ingredients... they used animal fat instead of ghee." He assured that his government had since improved the quality of ingredients, particularly ghee, used in preparing the prasad, and emphasized that all food offerings at the renowned temple are now of better quality.
YSRCP rejects malicious allegations
The YSRCP has strongly rejected the "malicious" allegations, accusing the TDP of fabricating lies for political advantage. The party claimed it was actually Naidu who tarnished the temple's sanctity and offended millions of devotees with his remarks. YSRCP leader YV Subba Reddy, writing in Telugu on X, said, "it has been proved once again that Chandrababu...will not hesitate to do anything bad for the benefit of politics," and challenged Naidu to "take an oath as witnesses" in this matter.
