Tirupati: Amid concerns among devotees over the quality of ghee used in the famous 'laddu prasadam' of the Tirupati temple, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has said that the sanctity of the holy sweet has been restored. There is no problem in it now. The TTD, which manages the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple atop the Tirumala hills, said in a post on the internet media on Friday night that the divinity and sanctity of the Srivari laddu is now untainted.

The temple board said in the post that the TTD is committed to safeguard the sanctity of the laddu prasadam for the satisfaction of all devotees. The temple body, which manages the opulent shrine, on Friday said samples tested for quality showed the presence of substandard ghee and lard.

Centre takes seriously the issue of adulteration in Tirupati Laddus

Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday said the Centre has taken the issue of adulteration in the famous Tirupati laddu 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 on the matter from the Andhra Pradesh government and promised appropriate action after investigation.

There will be no compromise on purity

On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the government will consult the heads of monasteries, 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.

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

After the allegations, former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy termed the matter as diversionary politics and called it a fabricated story. Amid the laddu controversy, a senior Telangana official said that the state government's Vijaya Dairy is ready to supply pure and quality milk products to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.

A complaint has been filed in Hyderabad against Jagan Mohan Reddy and others

In a letter to TTD Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao, Telangana Animal Husbandry Department Principal Secretary Sabyasachi Ghosh said 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 setting up of food testing laboratories by FSSAI at all public places distributing prasad to ensure its quality.

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

Pawan Kalyan will do tapasya for 11 days

Advocate K Karuna Sagar has lodged a complaint at the Saidabad police station citing the lab report. Meanwhile, Hindu Sena Samiti president Surjeet Singh Yadav on Saturday filed a PIL in the Supreme Court demanding the formation of a special investigation team to investigate the allegations of use of animal fat in preparing prasad at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple. Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and actor Pawan Kalyan said that he will do penance for 11 days to please Lord Venkateswara due to adulteration of laddus with animal fat.