TTD said - Tirupati's laddu is now completely pure; Pawan Kalyan will do 11 days of penance

Amid the concern of devotees about the quality of ghee used in the famous 'laddu prasad' of Tirupati temple, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has said that the purity of the holy sweet has been restored. Now there is no problem with it. TTD, which manages the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple located on the hills of Tirumala, said in a post released on the internet media on Friday night that the divinity and purity of Srivari laddu is now unblemished.

The temple board said in the post that the TTD is committed to protecting the sanctity of the Laddu Prasad for the satisfaction of all devotees. The temple body, which manages the ultra-rich temple, said on Friday that samples tested for quality were found to contain substandard ghee and lard (pig fat).

Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday said the Centre has taken the issue of adulteration in the famous Tirupati laddus seriously and the matter will be taken to its logical conclusion. The minister also said that these allegations came to light after the TTD stopped using Karnataka Milk Federation's Nandini ghee. The Centre has sought a report from the Andhra Pradesh government on the matter and promised appropriate action after an investigation.

On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the government will consult mathas, saints, priests, and other top Hindu religious experts for the future after allegations of adulteration of Tirupati laddus with animal fat. There will be no compromise on purity under any circumstances.

Naidu said, at the recent NDA legislature party meeting, the previous YSRCP government did not even spare the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple and used substandard ingredients, including animal fat, to make Tirupati laddus famous for their unique taste.

The former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy termed the matter as diversionary politics following the surfacing of allegations. Meanwhile, a senior Telangana official said that the state government's Vijaya Dairy is ready to supply pure and quality milk products to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam amidst controversy over the Laddu.

In a letter to TTD Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao, Telangana Animal Husbandry Department Principal Secretary Sabyasachi Ghosh said that Telangana Vijaya Dairy is known for supplying quality products to consumers. Vijaya Dairy being a government firm will be completely transparent with regard to quality, purity, and price. Meanwhile, former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu has demanded the setting up of food testing laboratories by FSSAI at all public places distributing prasad to ensure its quality.

He said that these testing laboratories' costs can easily be borne by the organizations that run community meals, etc. A complaint has been filed against former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and others in Hyderabad. In this, they have been accused of maliciously destroying the sanctity of Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple and hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus.

Advocate K Karuna Sagar lodged a complaint at Saidabad police station citing the lab report. Meanwhile, Hindu Sena Samiti President Surjeet Singh Yadav on Saturday moved a PIL in the Supreme Court seeking an SIT to probe into the allegations of the use of animal fat in preparing prasad in Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple. Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan said he will undertake an 11-day penance to please Lord Venkateswara after the adulteration of laddus with animal fat.