Nandini ghee is a popular product of Karnataka Milk Federation.
| Photo Credit: MANJUNATH HS

The controversy over the ghee being supplied to the temple in Tirupati has led to an increase in demand for Nandini products.

“The TTD prasadam issue has created a high demand for clarified butter sold by Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) under the Nandini Ghee brand,” MLA and District Milk Union chairman Balachandra Jarkiholi said in Belagavi on September 23.

“Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s allegation of adulteration of laddus has created an unprecedented high demand for Nandini ghee in India,” the former KMF chairman told reporters.

Years ago, KMF supplied ghee to the temple to make laddus. Later, with a change in leadership in the temple committee, the order was cancelled, and tenders were called. KMF did not supply ghee as the company could not match the lowest quoted price. “We did not want to compromise on quality and therefore did not participate in the tender process. The tender for the supply of ghee was awarded to a private company,” Mr Jarkiholi explained.

“I do not know if the CM’s statement about animal fat and fish oil in the laddus is true. A high-level scientific inquiry has to decide on that. But this has led to a positive impact on KMF with the whole country talking about Nandini ghee. I thank Mr Naidu for increasing demand for Nandini products,” he said.

“KMF officials have told me that they are considering supplying ghee to TTD if the price and other conditions are right. It will help our farmers and improve our brand value,” the BJP MLA said.

Hyderabad:

The Lord Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati was “purified” Monday amid the row over animal fat – fish oil, beef tallow, and lard (pig fat) – in ghee used to make the laddoos, or devotional offerings, ‘fed’ to the deity and given to devotees.

An army of priests performed a ‘maha shani homam‘ at the temple that is widely seen as one of the holiest sites in Hinduism. Temple officials said the ceremony will “ward off ill-effects of adulteration and restore sanctity of laddoos as ‘prasadam‘, and ensure devotees’ well-being”.

Syamala Rao, the Executive Officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam – the government trust that runs the temple – said rituals lasted four hours starting 6 am, with special focus on the kitchen that makes the laddoos. He also said the new system of procurement, of ‘pure cow ghee’, had been changed, and this had led to “improved taste of laddoos and other prasadam” from the temple.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu – whose Telugu Desam Party kickstarted the row last week, backed by a July 17 lab report from Gujarat indicating animal fat in ghee samples from the temple kitchen – has ordered a special police team to investigate this matter.

#WATCH | Andhra Pradesh: TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) organised a Maha Shanti Homam in the wake of Laddu Prasadam row.

Executive officer of Tirumala Tirupathi Devastanam (TTD) Shamala Rao and other officials of the Board participated in the Homamam along with the… pic.twitter.com/Gkh7JFeljT

— ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2024

“Many not-so-sacred things were done over the last five years,” he said darkly, declaring non-Hindus would not be allowed on the temple management board.

Apart from the question of animal fat in ghee, Mr Naidu has also accused former TTD Chairperson, Bhumana Karunakar Reddy – an ex MLA with the YSR Congress of former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy – over irregularities connected to temple management.

The temple’s ex EO, Dharma Reddy, a civil servant, was also accused; in April the centre extended Mr Reddy’s deputation from the Indian Defence Estates Service by six weeks.

The Chief Minister has also accused his predecessor, Mr Reddy, of favouritism in appointing senior temple management officials, a charge the YSR Congress leader has denied.

Amid the bitter squabbling and claims and counterclaims, Mr Reddy on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi denouncing Chandrababu Naidu as a “pathological liar” and accused the Chief Minister of hurting the beliefs of crores of people “for political objectives”.

READ | “C Naidu Habitual Liar”: Jagan Reddy Writes To PM Amid Laddoo Row

On the specific claim of animal fat in ghee, Mr Reddy said a tanker containing (the possibly adulterated) ghee had arrived at the temple in July but was rejected. “Robust practices in place for decades (at the) TTD could identify the questionable quality (of the ghee) …” he said.

READ | Suppliers Exploited Lack Of In-House Testing Facility: Tirupati Temple Body

“(at the temple) three samples are tested from every tanker, and only after (all) three pass is the ghee be used… if even one sample is substandard the tanker is rejected…” he explained.

The under-fire ex Chief Minister also red-flagged disclaimers in the lab report, which says the findings may be voided if “the milk fat… is obtained from cows which received an exceptionally high feeding of pure vegetable oils, cotton or palm oils…” and other similar preconditions.

Earlier, Mr Reddy criticised the “false report” and accused Mr Naidu of “using faith for politics”.

Meanwhile, Mr Naidu’s deputy, Jana Sena leader Pawan Kalyan, has set himself a 11-day fast as ‘penance’ and the Bharatiya Janata Party – with whom the TDP and Jana Sena are allied at the centre – has demanded a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry.

READ | Pawan Kalyan To Go On 11-Day ‘Penance’ In Tirupati Laddoo Row

Mr Kalyan began his ‘penance’ on Sunday at a Lord Venkateswara temple in Guntur district.

“If a church or mosque was involved… this would have caused a national uproar. Why are Hindus expected to not raise issues…” the Deputy Chief Minister asked.

The union government has also gotten involved; last week Health Minister JP Nadda has demanded a detailed report and Food Minister Pralhad Joshi said the issue of “desecration” of the Tirupati temple and the Hindu faith will be taken seriously, and “to its logical end”.

READ | Health Ministry Wants Report As Tirupati Laddoo Row Escalates

Also, a PIL, or public interest litigation, has been filed in the Supreme Court, seeking a special team to investigate the alleged use of animal fat in the ghee, which, it was argued, violated Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees all Indians right to freedom of religion.

NDTV Explains | How Are Tirupati Laddoos Made? How Are Ingredients Procured?

The temple kitchen makes around three lakh laddoos daily, with around 1,500 kg of ghee and vast amounts of cashew nuts, raisins, cardamoms, gram flour, and sugar used. Reports indicate the ghee was bought from a supplier in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

New Delhi:

In January, during the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, 300 kilograms of ‘prasad’ from the Tirupati temple was distributed to devotees, confirmed Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of the temple. This revelation comes in the wake of a controversy surrounding the alleged use of animal fat in ghee in the preparation of laddoos at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati, managed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

“If animal fat was mixed in the ‘prasad’, it is unforgivable. Strict action should be taken against those responsible,” Mr Das said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

The TTD revealed that the lab report confirmed the presence of lard and other impurities in ghee used by a contractor. An official stated that the contractor responsible for supplying adulterated ghee had been blacklisted and legal proceedings were initiated.

The row began when Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu first raised concerns about the quality of the ‘prasad’, alleging that animal fat was used during the tenure of the previous YSRCP government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Mr Naidu accused the YSRCP regime of purchasing substandard ghee at cheaper rates, which compromised the sacredness of the Tirupati laddoos.

In response, former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy dismissed these allegations as “diversion politics” and a “concocted story” aimed at shifting focus from the current government’s failures.

The issue intensified after lab reports, commissioned by the TDP, backed Mr Naidu’s claims. According to these reports, the ghee samples tested showed traces of animal fats, including beef tallow, lard, and fish oil. The temple management confirmed that four separate tests revealed similar results, prompting immediate action to halt supplies from the blacklisted contractor.

Mr Naidu, in a public address, announced that new suppliers of pure cow ghee, including the Nandini brand from Karnataka, have been engaged to restore the sacredness of the laddoos. The former chief priest of the Tirupati temple, Ramana Deekshitulu, also expressed concerns over the issue, stating that he had previously raised the matter with the TTD management to no avail.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi have both called for investigations and have sought reports from the Andhra Pradesh government. The TTD has assured devotees that the purity of the laddoos has now been restored, and steps have been taken to ensure that only the highest quality ingredients are used going forward.

New Delhi:

The row over animal fat allegedly being used to make the famed Tirupati laddoos reached the Supreme Court on Friday with a lawyer filing a petition alleging that the act violates fundamental Hindu religious customs and deeply hurts the sentiments of countless devotees who consider the ‘prasad’ a sacred blessing.

The petitioner has said the alleged presence of animal fat in the laddoos is symptomatic of larger systemic issues in temple administration and has called for the sanctity of Hindu religious practices being protected. 

The controversy began after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said on Wednesday that animal fat was used to make the sought-after laddoos given as ‘prasad’ by the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati under the previous YSR Congress government. The Andhra Pradesh government then cited a report by a Gujarat laboratory which stated that the ghee used in the laddoos contained traces of beef tallow, fish oil, and lard (pig fat). 

In a letter petition sent to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, lawyer Satyam Singh has said the allegations on the prasad at the temple, managed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), have hurt the sentiments of devotees and the alleged act of using animal fat in the laddoos violates Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of religion, including the right to practice religious customs.

Highlighting several judgments of the Supreme Court that have emphasised the importance of protecting essential religious practices, the petition claims the Tirupati incident is symptomatic of larger systemic issues in temple administration and calls for dedicated and culturally sensitive management of temples.

The lawyer who has sent the letter has also sought the protection of Hindu religious practices and ensuring proper management of sacred institutions, and urged the Supreme Court’s intervention in the matter.

Earlier on Friday, Union Health Minister JP Nadda asked Mr Naidu for a “detailed report” on the allegations. The BJP, which is an ally of Mr Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Jana Sena, has said the alleged use of animal fat is an unforgivable sin, with senior leader Bandi Sanjay hinting that it may have happened because a “few people from other religions had been inducted” into the TTD board.

‘Diversionary Tactics’

The YSR Congress and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy have rubbished the allegations. 

In his first statement on the controversy on Friday, Mr Reddy said the claims were false and a diversionary tactic by the TDP. 

Senior YSR Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy, who was the TTD chairman for four years, accused Mr Naidu of damaging the sanctity of the Tirumala shrine.

“Chandrababu Naidu has severely damaged the sanctity of Tirumala and the faith of crores of Hindus. His comments about the Tirumala prasad are extremely malicious. No person would speak such words or make such accusations,” Mr Reddy had said. 

“It has been proven again that Chandrababu Naidu will stoop to any level for political gain. To strengthen the faith of the devotees, I, along with my family, am ready to take an oath before the almighty regarding the Tirumala ‘prasad’. Is Chandrababu Naidu willing to do the same with his family,” he asked.

Making a startling claim, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has said animal fat was used to make Tirupati laddoos under the previous government run by the YSR Congress. The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led party has rubbished the allegation and termed it malicious. 

Addressing an NDA legislative party meeting on Wednesday, Mr Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party came to power in Andhra Pradesh in June in an alliance with the Jana Sena and the BJP, said animal fat was used to make the sought-after laddoos given as ‘prasad’ by the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati under the Jagan Reddy government. The temple is managed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

“In the past 5 years, YSR Congress party leaders have tarnished the sanctity of Tirumala. They compromised on the quality of ‘Annadanam’ (free meals) and even contaminated the sacred Tirumala Laddu by using animal fat instead of ghee. This revelation has caused concern. However, we are now using pure ghee. We are striving to protect the sanctity of the TTD,” Mr Naidu said in Telugu. 

Senior YSR Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy accused Mr Naidu of damaging the sanctity of the Tirumala shrine.

“Chandrababu Naidu has severely damaged the sanctity of Tirumala and the faith of crores of Hindus. His comments about the Tirumala prasad are extremely malicious. No person would speak such words or make such accusations,” Mr Reddy wrote in Telugu on X.

“It has been proven again that Chandrababu Naidu will stoop to any level for political gain. To strengthen the faith of the devotees, I, along with my family, am ready to take an oath before the almighty regarding the Tirumala ‘prasad’. Is Chandrababu Naidu willing to do the same with his family,” he asked.