Holy sweet triggers sour political battle in Andhra as war of words erupts

SIT report on the alleged adulteration in Tirupati laddu led to a fresh war of words between TDP and YSRCP

The Tirupati laddu, formally 310 years old but tracing its roots back to the Chola and Vijayanagara empires, is once again at the centre of a political storm in Andhra Pradesh — this time between the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the main opposition, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). 

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Supreme Court, recently submitted a report to the Andhra government on the alleged use of adulterated ghee in the preparation of the laddu prasadam (an offering made to the deity and then distributed to devotees). The report, accessed by Business Standard, indicates that the laddu allegedly contained vegetable oils, chemical esters, and synthetic substances. 

Amid the political slugfest that followed, the N Chandrababu Naidu-led state government decided to set up a single-member commission to look into the 11-page SIT report last week. 

How significant is this for devotees? 

The laddu, first introduced on August 2, 1715, is usually prepared by a team of 600 dedicated workers, including specialised chefs called pachakas, at a sacred kitchen called the ‘laddu potu’ within the temple premises. In 2009, the laddu earned a geographical indication (GI) tag. For Telugu people, it is more than a prasadam — it is a symbol of their culture, faith, and heritage. 

According to reports, the laddu’s preparation requires around 10 tonnes of gram flour, 10 tonnes of sugar, 700 kilograms (kg) of cashewnuts, 160 kg of cardamom, 300-500 litres of ghee, 500 kg of sugar candy and 540 kg of raisins on a daily basis. This means that approximately 280,000 laddus are made daily, with the production capability touching as high as 800,000 on special occasions. 

This volume, and the emotions attached to the prasadam, mean that any question over its quality and flavour could easily translate into an uproar.   

How did the controversy unfold? 

The TDP says that the alleged adulteration happened between 2019 and 2024, when the YSRCP was in power and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was the chief minister (CM). In September 2024, current CM Naidu accused his predecessor government of allowing adulteration in the laddus by including animal fats in the preparation. 

Later, a lab report from the National Dairy Development Board’s (NDDB’s) Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock & Food (CALF) said there were ‘foreign’ fats in the laddu, raising alarm. The blame for this was put on a batch of ghee sourced from a Dindigul-based company, AR Dairy Food, which denied the allegations. 

The SIT was set up as a result of these allegations, and its report cited multiple procedural violations at different stages of procurement by authorities. It also found that key changes to tender conditions were introduced in 2020 without a proper study, which resulted in the participation of previously ineligible companies in the process. The changes included the reduction of minimum turnover requirement to ₹150 crore from ₹250 crore to be eligible for bidding. 

The report further said the then Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman, Y V Subba Reddy, was aware of the adulteration but approved further procurement of ghee from the same dairies that supplied substandard materials. Reddy is a Rajya Sabha member and Jagan Mohan Reddy’s uncle. 

“The latest revelations from the official chargesheet have sparked fresh outrage and deep anguish among devotees of the Tirupati laddu, exposing the horrifying truth that a toilet cleaning chemical was used to adulterate the sacred laddu,” a statement from the TDP said. 

According to the chargesheet, Manish Gupta, one of the accused, allegedly prepared invoices in various names during the period from March 2022 to May 2024. Further, during this period, a company called Aristo Chemicals allegedly supplied lactic acid and LABSA/acid slurry totalling approximately 8,900 kg to Harsh Fresh Dairy Products and Bhole Baba Organic Dairy Milk.  LABSA is “non-food grade” and “corrosive industrial substance capable of causing severe chemical burns, internal organ damage, and potentially fatal injuries if ingested”, the TDP statement said. 

The report further alleged that both these companies did not procure any milk but created false records of milk purchase. 

YSRCP, on the other hand, is defending itself by claiming that the adulteration happened before its tenure — Bhole Baba Dairy was empanelled during the previous TDP regime in 2018. 

“The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently filed the chargesheet and closed the investigation. Producing NDDB and NDRI (National Dairy Research Institute) reports, it categorically said that there was no animal fat in the laddu, as claimed by Chandrababu Naidu in the last 18 months,” Jagan Mohan Reddy said. 

“The CBI also went ahead and said that there was no wrongdoing done during the YSRCP regime. Thereby, it gave a clean chit to the earlier TTD chairman,” he added. 

Some political pundits are echoing a similar opinion. 

“Both parties are using it politically. While the government is using its machinery, YSRCP is mobilising crowds. The first allegation by TDP was that it (the laddu) contained animal fat. However, recent lab reports are showing no evidence of that,” said Rama Krishna Sangem, a veteran journalist and political analyst. 

With both sides trying to score political points, the sacred laddu may well create a storm in days to come.