Amaravati, February 20 – Pandemonium erupted in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council on Friday as the opposition YSR Congress Party insisted on their demand for a debate on the irregularities in the supply of ghee for Tirumala laddus, allegedly involving Heritage Foods, a family firm of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Alleging a nexus between Heritage Foods and Indapur Dairy, the YSRCP sought to move an adjournment motion for a debate on the issue, citing evidence of inflated contracts and the reversal of disqualifications.
As Council Chairman Koyye Moshenu Raju rejected the notices given by YSRCP members for adjournment motion, they tried to stall the proceedings by raising slogans.
Opposition legislators were seen holding pictures of Sri Venkateswara Swamy.
Minister for Finance and Legislative Affairs Payyavula Keshav objected to the YSRCP members holding pictures of Sri Venkateswara Swamy while wearing shoes, alleging that they were showing a lack of faith in the God and engaging in sacrilegious behavior.
There was uproar in the House as members of the ruling coalition condemned the YSRCP's actions, while the opposition members accused them of diverting the focus from the alleged irregularities in ghee tenders.
Leader of the Opposition Botsa Satyanarayana insisted on a debate on the inflated contracts.
He reiterated that the ghee, which was previously procured at around Rs 320 per kg, is now being supplied at around Rs 700 per kg through Indapur Dairy, which he claimed has links with Chandrababu Naidu's own company, Heritage, resulting in a doubling of the price and the misappropriation of public funds.
YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had also claimed on Thursday that all the irregularities in the supply of adulterated ghee for Tirupati laddus took place during Chandrababu Naidu's term, but he has been trying to shift the blame on political opponents.
Addressing a press conference, he explained the alleged nexus between Heritage and Indapur, and how Chandrababu's favoured companies allegedly received undue benefits through the reversal of disqualifications, the acceptance of rejected tankers, and the awarding of contracts at inflated rates.
He claimed that after the Indapur name came to light, Heritage had changed its status from a manufacturing unit to a co-manufacturing unit and had awarded the contract to supply ghee at Rs 650 per kg, while the same company had previously supplied ghee at Rs 278 and Rs 321.
He said that it was during the TDP's term that rejected tankers were accepted, disqualifications were revoked on favoured companies, and all companies, including Bola Baba, were encouraged by Heritage.
While all fingers of suspicion are pointing towards Chandrababu, he has been shamelessly blaming the YSRCP. Irregularities in ghee supply happened during the TDP's term, which was endorsed in the CBI chargesheet, he said.
However, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) chairman BR Naidu clarified that Heritage Foods never supplied ghee to TTD. He alleged that the YSRCP, which was desperate to divert people's attention from its involvement in supplying adulterated ghee to TTD during its regime, was trying to mislead the public by linking Indapur Dairy to Heritage Foods.
