Tirupati Laddu Row: Left parties demand disclosure of SIT report
Seek strict action against those involved, call for steps against communal politics
Vijayawada: Leaders of various Left parties have demanded that the state government immediately make public the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report appointed by the Supreme Court into the alleged irregularities in the preparation of Tirupati laddu and take stringent action against those found guilty.
At a meeting held at Balotsav Bhavan in here on Wednesday, under the chairmanship of CPI(ML) New Democracy leader P Prasad, CPI state secretary G Eswaraiah, CPM state secretary V. Srinivasa Rao, and representatives of CPI(ML) Liberation, RSP, Forward Bloc, MCPI(U), SUCI(C) and other Left organisations expressed concern over what they described as attempts to divert public attention from pressing public issues through the laddu controversy.
After the meeting, the leaders left leaders addressing the media and said that the SIT report, which reportedly examined allegations relating to adulterated ghee procurement and financial irregularities worth crores of rupees, should be disclosed in full to place the facts before the public.
They maintained that the state government has a responsibility to explain why action has not been initiated if the SIT recommended disciplinary measures against certain TTD officials.
They alleged that ruling and opposition parties, including the TDP, Jana Sena, BJP and YSRCP, were offering differing interpretations of the issue for political gains without officially revealing the contents of the SIT findings. Such statements, they said, were creating confusion among devotees and fuelling avoidable tensions.
The Left leaders appealed to all political parties not to play with the religious sentiments of devotees and not to convert the issue into a source of communal discord. They stressed that any corruption or irregularity in laddu preparation should be treated as an administrative and legal matter, not as a religious conflict.
Referring to the controversy that began following remarks over alleged adulteration of ghee, the leaders said the matter, which concerns the faith of millions of devotees, must be resolved transparently under the supervision of the Supreme Court. They criticised the reported move to constitute another inquiry committee without making the SIT report public, stating that it raises questions about the government’s intentions.
The Left parties also demanded that the role of all those involved in procurement decisions — past and present — be examined and that accountability be fixed irrespective of political affiliation.
They called for the appointment of honest and qualified officials to ensure strict quality control in the preparation of temple prasadam and to prevent any scope for corruption in the future.
Emphasising that misuse of religious sentiments for political purposes could have serious consequences for social harmony, the Left leaders urged the government to focus on transparency, uphold the Supreme Court’s directions, and ensure justice at the earliest.
