Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday announced setting up of a one-man committee to probe further into the alleged adulteration of ghee used in making of Tirupati laddu during the previous regime.
Describing the ghee adulteration as the "greatest sin against god,” Naidu said after he became the chief minister in 2024, as part of the “cleansing process” of TTD, ghee samples were sent to NDDB-CALF which clearly stated that the commodity was adulterated with animal fat.
“The NDDB clearly stated that (ghee was adulterated with animal fat). I said the same. Now, the SIT has submitted the report. The SIT report on ghee clearly says that it was adulterated with palmolein oil and chemicals,” the chief minister said.
The SIT has submitted a report to take administrative action on certain people.
“We will appoint a one-man committee to study the lapses and take corrective measures. If there is any additional information available, we will submit it to the court,” the CM added.
Naidu said the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government committed a “sin” by allegedly indulging in the adulteration. He alleged that several temples were attacked during the previous regime.
The chief minister launched a sharp attack on YSR Congress party leaders over the Tirumala laddu adulteration controversy, questioning whether facts would change if the opposition continued to “mislead the public.”
He warned that acts of aggression and hooliganism would not be tolerated and cautioned that tampering with matters related to the deity would have serious consequences.
He stressed that the laddu adulteration issue had deeply hurt the sentiments of devotees and required stringent action.
The chief minister accused YSRCP leaders of spreading misinformation to divert public attention from alleged wrongdoing.
“After committing mistakes, YSRCP leaders are indulging in propaganda to deflect public attention. Should we tolerate abuses and baseless allegations? We will ensure punishment for the guilty through all possible legal means,” he said.
He also referred to past controversies, alleging that earlier remarks made in the assembly about the Tirumala hills and incidents of idol vandalism during the previous regime reflected disregard for religious sentiments.
“Instead of taking action against those responsible, they launched counter-attacks against us,” he said.
