Tirupati, February 21 The Andhra Pradesh government's appointment of a one-man committee to examine a report by the SIT investigating the Tirupati laddoo adulteration issue is an "insult" to the Supreme Court and the judicial process, said senior YSRCP leader and former TTD chairman B Karunakar Reddy.
On Friday, the N Chandrababu Naidu-led government had appointed retired IAS officer Dinesh Kumar as the one-man committee to examine the CBI-led SIT's report and to recommend appropriate action against those found guilty.
The committee was formed after the SIT, appointed by the Supreme Court, completed its investigation and submitted the chargesheet.
"Appointing a one-man committee after the SIT has submitted its chargesheet is nothing but an insult to the Supreme Court and the judicial process," said Karunakar Reddy in a YSRCP press release on Friday.
Reddy, a two-time chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which administers the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple, said Naidu has launched a "new political drama" by appointing the one-man committee after the SIT's investigation into the Tirumala laddoo ghee controversy failed to support his narrative.
Claiming that the CBI-SIT investigation, conducted under the Supreme Court's directions across eight states for nearly a year, "did not implicate YSRCP leaders and effectively cleared them," Reddy accused the ruling TDP supremo of now attempting to reopen the issue through a fresh committee to politically target opposition party members.
Referring to a previous one-man committee formed after the Vaikunta Ekadasi stampede incident, he questioned its outcome and claimed that such committees are formed with "predetermined conclusions about whom to protect and whom to blame."
He asserted that despite the SIT submitting recommendations to the government, they have not been made public, and instead of implementing them, the government is allegedly prolonging the ghee adulteration controversy through another inquiry for "political purposes."
"The new committee is aimed at framing (former CM) YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and other YSRCP leaders in the ghee issue after Naidu's attempts failed through the SIT process," Reddy alleged.
According to Karunakar Reddy, the move is purely a political strategy intended to create a narrative through "friendly media" over the next 45 days.
Questioning the intent, he asked whether the power to judge and punish rests with the courts or with Naidu, remarking that if this is the approach, then the CM might as well head the inquiry himself and deliver verdicts.
"The adulterated ghee controversy was politically manufactured and if any irregularity occurred, responsibility would lie with the government that brought in certain suppliers, including Bole Baba Dairy, and oversaw ghee procurement between 2013 and 2019 when Premier Dairy supplied a majority share at low prices," he said.
He claimed that alleged links between Heritage, Indapur and other entities have already been "exposed with evidence" and that attempts are now being made to divert attention by targeting opposition leaders, instead of addressing the facts.
Recently, YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy had claimed that Naidu has enabled Indapur Dairy and Milk Products Ltd to participate in TTD tenders and qualify to supply ghee.
According to the former CM, Indapur Dairy was officially identified by Heritage as its manufacturing unit until February 10, 2026, and was later redesignated as a co-manufacturing location on February 15, following a controversy over its alleged association with Heritage and ghee supply to TTD.
Further, Karunakar Reddy said the government recently replacing TTD executive officer AK Singhal and allegedly sending another official on leave were "part of efforts to deflect accountability."
He alleged that the one-man committee is meant to prolong a "political conspiracy and defame YSRCP leaders rather than deliver justice."
Moreover, he warned that if Naidu does not "acknowledge his mistakes and apologize" for allegedly dragging a sacred issue into politics, he will face judgment in the court of public opinion.
Meanwhile, TDP leader M Gurunadham alleged that YSRCP leaders are intentionally diverting the laddoo ghee adulteration issue for political dividends and in that process maligning Heritage.
"No amount of maligning (Heritage) will cause people to believe," he said, adding that Heritage, promoted by the CM's family, was started with just Rs 4 crore, which has now grown to be a Rs 4,000-crore company.
Gurunadham accused YSRCP leaders of linking Heritage to unrelated companies like Bhole Baba Dairy and Indapur Dairy.