Tirupati Laddu controversy- Mahashanti Homa for 4 hours for purification: Vishwa Hindu Parishad meeting begins; religious conversion, ending government control in temples will be discussed
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad meeting has begun at Sri Lalita Peetham, Vasishtashram, Srinivasa Mangapuram, on the issue of mixing animal fat in the prasadam (laddus) at Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple (Tirupati Temple) in Andhra Pradesh.
In this meeting of the VHP’s Central Guidance Board, the issues of freeing temples from government control and religious conversion will also be discussed.
Hindu saints from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other southern states have attended this meeting. VHP national general secretary Bajrang Bagda and other officials are present in it.
Before that, Maha Shanti Homa was performed for the purification of the temple. TTD board officials participated in this Panchagavya Prokshana (purification) which lasted for 4 hours from 6 am to 10 am.
The state government has formed an SIT to investigate the Tirupati temple laddus. CM Chandrababu Naidu said that action will be taken on the basis of the SIT report.
Deputy CM said- I asked God for forgiveness, Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan is fasting and said- We should not remain silent when Hindu temples are desecrated. If this had happened in mosques or churches, anger would have erupted in the country.
Pawan Kalyan started 11 days of penance from Sunday (September 22). He will fast during this period. Pawan said- I regret why I could not find out about the adulteration earlier. I am feeling sad. I will do penance for this.
Pawan Kalyan wrote on social media, ‘Tirumala Laddu Prasadam, which is considered sacred, has been desecrated due to the corrupt policies of Jagan Reddy’s government. Not being able to recognize this sin at the beginning is a blot on the Hindu community.
The moment I found out that the laddu prasadam contained animal fat, I was shocked. I felt guilty. Since I am fighting for the welfare of the people, I am sad why I could not identify it.’
Former Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy has written a letter to Prime Minister Modi requesting him to seek a response from Naidu on the Prasadam controversy. Reddy wrote in the letter, “An attempt is being made by CM Chandrababu Naidu to tarnish the sanctity, integrity and reputation of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD).”
He wrote that Chandrababu Naidu is an incurable and habitual liar and he has stooped to such a low level that he has hurt the faith of crores of people only for political purposes. The truth of the lies that were spread should be brought out. This will remove the doubts created in the minds of crores of Hindu devotees and restore faith in the sanctity of TTD.
Case filed against former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan ReddyA case has been registered against former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and others. They have been accused of damaging the sanctity of Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple and hurting Hindu religious sentiments following allegations of adulteration in ghee used in the famous Tirupati Laddu Prasadam. This complaint has been lodged by a lawyer at Saidabad Police Station in Hyderabad.
The sentiments of Hindus have been hurt. This cannot be forgiven. The culprits should be given severe punishment. All their property should be confiscated and all those who are even remotely involved in this process should be put in jail.
Sri Sri Ravishankar, spiritual guru
Laddus are being made from Nandini Ghee in Tirupati temple, Ghee supplier is being monitored through GPS. Nandini Ghee is now being used to make Laddus in Tirupati temple. Nandini is a popular brand of Karnataka Milk Federation. Amidst the controversy, just a month ago, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) gave the contract of supplying ghee to Karnataka Milk Federation.
Karnataka Milk Federation Managing Director MK Jagadeesh said, we have installed GPS system and geo location devices in our vehicles. These vehicles supply ghee to the temple. By installing GPS system, we get to know where the vehicle has stopped, so that adulteration can be stopped. Karnataka Milk Federation has got the contract to supply 350 tonnes of ghee.
Where has the Prasadam controversy reached…
Supreme Court: Hindu Sena Samiti president Surjit Singh Yadav had demanded an SIT probe to investigate the allegations of animal fat in Tirupati Prasadam. Surjit Singh filed a PIL in the Supreme Court on September 21. Apart from this, lawyer Satyam Singh also filed a petition in the Supreme Court saying that adulteration in Prasadam is a violation of the basic principles of Hindu religious customs. The court should take immediate cognizance of this.
High Court: YSR Congress Party approached Andhra Pradesh High Court over fat in laddu controversy. Jagan Reddy’s party has requested an investigation under the supervision of a sitting judge in this matter. The next hearing in the case will be on September 25.
Health Ministry: The Health Ministry has sought a report from the Andhra Pradesh government. Health Minister JP Nadda said- I have spoken to CM Chandrababu Naidu. The temple’s prasad (laddu) will be tested.
Demand for CBI investigation: TDP, Congress and BJP have demanded a CBI investigation in this case. However, the central government has not yet handed over this case to the investigating agency.
VHP meeting: Vishwa Hindu Parishad will hold a meeting on Monday on the Laddu controversy. Hindus from southern states will participate in it. The issue of taking temples out of government control will be raised in the meeting. Along with this, religious conversion will also be discussed.
How this controversy came to light…Karnataka Cooperative Milk Federation (KMF) was supplying ghee to the trust at subsidized rates for the last 50 years. Tirupati temple requires 1400 tonnes of ghee every six months. In July 2023, the company refused to supply at a lower rate, after which the Jagan government (YSRCP) gave the supply work to 5 firms. One of these is AR Dairy Foods based in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. Its product was found to be defective in July this year.
TDP government came, sample tested in July, fat confirmed. The TDP government appointed senior IAS officer J Shyamala Rao as the new executive officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) in June 2024.
He ordered a quality check of Prasadam (laddu). A committee was formed for this. The committee gave many suggestions to improve the taste and quality of Prasadam. Also, samples were sent to National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Gujarat for testing ghee. The report that came out in July mentioned fat.
After this, TTD returned the stock of ghee sent by AR Dairy Foods, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu and blacklisted the contractor. After this, TTD started purchasing ghee from Karnataka Milk Federation.
Ghee was bought from the old supplier at the rate of Rs 320 per kg. Now Tirupati Trust is buying ghee from Karnataka Cooperative Milk Federation (KMF) at the rate of Rs 475 per kg.
Ghee purity testing laboratory NDDB CALF (Anand, Gujarat) has agreed to donate a machine to Tirupati to test the purity of ghee. It costs Rs 75 lakh.
CM Naidu made the lab report public, controversy escalatedThe report that came out in July confirmed the presence of fat in the laddus. However, the TDP made the report public two months later. On September 18, CM Naidu had alleged that during the previous Jagan government, animal fat and fish oil were mixed in the ghee used in Tirupati temple laddus. The TDP also claimed to have confirmed its allegations by showing a lab report.
Naidu said, when ghee was available in the market at Rs 500 per kg, the Jagan government bought it at Rs 320 per kg. In such a situation, the ghee was bound to be adulterated by the supplier. The purchase of low-priced ghee by the Jagan government will be investigated. The sanctity of Tirupati temple has been tainted by the laddus made from ghee containing animal fat.
300 years old kitchen, only brahmins make 3.5 lakh laddus
Tirupati temple is one of the most popular and richest religious places in the world. Every day around 70 thousand devotees visit here to worship Lord Venkateswara Swamy. Its administration is handled by Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD).
3.50 lakh laddus are made daily with pure desi ghee in the 300-year-old kitchen ‘Potu’ built in the temple premises. This is the main prasad of the temple, which is prepared by about 200 Brahmins.
Laddus contain pure gram flour, boondi, sugar, cashews and pure ghee. The trust had sent about one lakh laddus to Ayodhya at the time of consecration of Ram temple.
