Amaravati, Feb 24 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday alleged that during the previous YSRCP regime, nearly 60 lakh kg of "adulterated ghee" was used to make over 20 crore consecrated laddus for the Tirupati temple, involving "organized syndicates."
He stated that such syndicates committed "sacrilege" by compromising with the prasadam, thereby hurting the sentiments of devotees.
Participating in a discussion in the Assembly on the alleged "sacrilege of the holy laddu prasadam of Lord Venkateswara Swamy," in Tirupati, Naidu said there was a conspiracy angle in the adulterated ghee supply issue.
"There was a conspiracy angle in the adulterated ghee supply issue. They (the perpetrators) became a syndicate. All this has been proven in forensic evidence."
"As much as 59.71 lakh kg of ghee supplied to TTD was adulterated. Between 2019 and 2024, over 20 crore laddus were made using adulterated ghee," Naidu said while giving a presentation in the House.
He further stated that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the custodian of the world-famous hill shrine, spent about Rs 234.51 crore to procure the adulterated ghee.
"They (the previous regime) committed sacrilege by adulterating the laddu (sacred sweet) in an organized crime," he alleged.
He also claimed that there were several attacks on temples during YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's rule between 2019 and 2014.
He further stated that he made these comments based on the NDDB report earlier.
According to the CM, ghee supply tender conditions were altered during January-February 2020, as part of a "conspiracy," resulting in the dilution of standards.
Though a probe was ordered against Bhole Baba Dairy in May 2022 on receiving a complaint, the CM alleged that the findings were suppressed by the previous administration, while an August 2022 CFTRI report stated that ghee was adulterated with beta-sitosterol.
He also claimed that former TTD chairman Y V Subba Reddy’s personal assistant Chinna Appanna had taken a bribe of Rs 4.5 crore.
"Tenders were procured by submitting fake certificates and adulterated ghee was supplied. It was found that various chemicals were used to manufacture the adulterated ghee."
TTD's technical experts were "lured with expensive phones" to open the floodgates of adulterated ghee, the CM said.
The SIT has seized a diary documenting bribes paid to officials. The SIT probe has proved ghee adulteration and corruption, he said adding that the adulterated ghee was supplied by AR Dairy.
Besides the ghee adulteration scandal, Naidu said the propagation of non-Hindu faith was a strategic blunder by the previous YSRCP government.
Jerusalem tour details were allegedly printed on public bus tickets to propagate non-Hindu faith, he said.
Likewise, Naidu alleged that the opposition party leaders had accused him of pink diamond theft when there was no such diamond and thereby undermined the sanctity of the deity.
He further claimed that the Hindu faith was systematically "attacked" between 2019 and 2024, alleging that 2,032 temples were attacked and idols demolished.
On Heritage Foods, the CM said it is a dairy company owned by his family, which never supplied products to the government.
"Until now, no government department bought even a kg of Heritage ghee," claimed Naidu, alleging that a news daily linked to the opposition party published stories against Heritage.
Without government support, Heritage is engaging in transparent business, he added.
Alleging that YSRCP leaders attempted to link the Tirupati laddu ghee adulteration scandal to Heritage Foods Ltd, Naidu said the company procures 20 lakh litres of milk a day.
He asserted that there is no link between Indapur Dairy and Heritage. Naidu said Indapur Dairy located near Pune in Maharashtra does co-manufacturing to major companies such as Mother Dairy, Britannia, D Mart, Reliance, Dodla, Amul and Heritage.
According to Naidu, Heritage never engaged in fraudulent activities.
Appealing to the former rulers not to attack the sanctity of temples, the CM called on them to admit their "sins', claiming that erring people are demanding him to apologise.
Further, the TDP supremo stressed that TTD sanitisation has begun with the arrival of the NDA alliance government and also the enhancement of Tirupati laddu quality.
Similarly, he said Annadanam (free food for devotees) is being undertaken in 60 TTD temples at a cost of Rs 700 crore, among several other initiatives.
In his address, deputy CM Pawan Kalyan said, "Let the law take its own course, and the guilty should be punished."