Tirumala ghee row triggers political firestorm in Council
Vijayawada: The Tirumala laddu adulteration controversy sparked a heated debate in the Legislative Council on Wednesday with YSRCP members accusing the ruling NDA coalition of politicising the issue and alleged a nexus between Heritage Foods and Indapur Dairy.
YSRCP MLC P Chandrasekhar Reddy, speaking on alleged ghee adulteration in Tirumala laddu prasadam from 2019–2024, claimed a link between Heritage and Indapur had emerged. He alleged that on the day the controversy broke, Indapur was restructured as a co-manufacturing unit and a vice-president resigned, suggesting a coordinated cover-up. He cited Heritage’s website for resignation details.
Finance minister Payyavula Kesav strongly objected, insisting the discussion should focus solely on adulteration during the previous YSRCP regime. He criticised dragging private entities like Heritage into the debate and urged sticking to the notified topic.
Chairman K Moshen Raju repeatedly intervened, calling for decorum and relevance amid interruptions.Reddy continued, alleging Indapur (an Heritage associate) was disqualified in 2016 for supplying adulterated ghee under the then TDP government. He highlighted pricing anomalies: ghee supplied at Rs 321/kg earlier rose to Rs 658/kg after a government change, hinting at irregularities. He traced recent events, noting AR Dairy supplied ghee tankers in June–July 2024 (post-Model Code of Conduct), with the first delivery on June 12 after TDP took office. Irregularities flagged by TTD’s lab led to external testing. YSRCP argued the NDA was shifting blame despite procurement and testing under the current administration. Chandrasekhar Reddy also pointed to Bhole Baba Dairy (formerly Harsha), cleared in 2018 under TDP, and Premier Dairy, which supplied around 90 per cent of ghee from 2014–2019 and was reconsidered post-2024, questioning diluted norms and inconsistent standards. In response, minister Keshav defended the government’s transparency in publicising lab findings, referenced past national reports, and accused prior TTD leadership of suppressing 2022 quality issues. He said the Chief Minister acted to safeguard Tirumala prasadam’s sanctity. The session saw frequent acrimonious exchanges, with both sides accusing each other of exploiting faith and temple issues for politics. The Chairman urged order and adherence to facts and agenda.
