The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the governing body of the Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala, has lodged a formal complaint against AR Dairy Foods Pvt Ltd, a Tamil Nadu-based dairy company, for allegedly supplying adulterated ghee used in the temple’s iconic laddu prasadam. After several complaints from devotees about the quality of the laddu, the TTD conducted tests at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which confirmed the presence of vegetable and animal fats in the ghee. Despite AR Dairy Foods denying the allegations, the TTD has initiated a thorough investigation to ensure the sanctity and quality of the prasadam.
The adulteration scandal has prompted the Andhra Pradesh government to establish a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Inspector General of Police Sarvashresht Tripathi, to delve deeper into the matter. TTD’s procurement manager, P Muralikrishna, revealed that the temple had ordered 10 lakh kg of ghee from the dairy firm, which delivered four consignments between June and July. Although initial quality checks were conducted, it wasn’t until complaints arose that the TTD opted for a comprehensive adulteration test. Following the results, the TTD issued multiple show-cause notices to AR Dairy Foods, which the company rejected in early September.
The issue has escalated into a political dispute, with former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu accusing the YSR Congress Party of negligence over the adulteration. YSR Congress leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy countered these claims, accusing Naidu of using the incident for political mileage and misleading the public. Reddy has called for special poojas at the temple on September 28 to restore the sacredness of Tirumala and the honor of Lord Venkateswara’s prasadam, urging devotees to disregard Naidu’s allegations.
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