Why Tirupati laddoo is at the centre of a political row

Offered as ‘naivedyam’ at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati and distributed as ‘prasadam’ there, the Tirupati laddoo is much more than just that to devotees.

Partaken of with reverence and almost devotion across the world, the Tirupati laddoo — the main offering at the temple for more than 300 years — is believed to be the favourite ‘naivedyam’ of Lord Venkateswara himself.

The controversy

The controversy centres around the quality of the ingredients used to prepare the ‘prasadam’: Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has claimed that animal fat had been present in the ghee used to prepare the ‘prasadam’ when the state was ruled by YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in 2019-24. The TDP’s claim was founded on a report by the Centre of Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) — a multi-disciplinary laboratory of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s allegation that animal fat had been used in the preparation of the laddoo shocked devotees, who claimed their religious sentiments had been hurt, and triggered a massive political row.

Tirupati laddoo row: TTD says samples had ‘animal fat’; Jagan slams CM for ‘diversion politics’

The YSRCP, in turn, has accused Naidu of indulging in “heinous allegations” for “political gains” and “digressing attention from his own shortcomings”.

TDP ally BJP has jumped into the fray, with Union Health Minister JP Nadda seeking a detailed report, saying that the government will examine the matter in detail and take suitable action. “I spoke to the Andhra Pradesh chief minister and have sought details. I asked him to share whatever report was available with him. We will also speak to the state regulator and suitable action as per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will be taken,” Nadda said.

Tirupati laddoo

The ‘prasadam’ prepared in the temple kitchen by the temple board — Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) — been awarded a Geographical Indication tag, which means that only TTD can prepare and sell the laddoo. It is prepared with ingredients such as ‘pure, aromatic, high-quality ghee’, ‘besan’ flour, sugar,  cashew nuts, cardamom, sugar candy and raisins.

According to reports, until around 2001, the TTD staff prepared the ‘prasadam’ themselves. However, with the increase in the number of devotees and, with it, the rise n the demand for the laddoos, the temple authorities set up a ‘potu’ (‘Lord’s kitchen’).

Three types of laddoos are generally prepared and offered as prasadam — Asthanam laddoo, Kalyanotsavam laddoo and Proktam laddoo. The first version is prepared on special festive occasions and  distributed to special guests, while Kalyanotsavam laddoos are for those who participate in special religious rituals.

Proktam laddoos are the ones distributed among devotees.

‘Sweet’ politics

Raising political temperature, Naidu hit out at his predecessor, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, claiming that his government did not spare even the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fat in preparing the ‘prasadam’.

The YSRCP, which rubbished the allegations, challenged Naidu to provide evidence. It also approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday, requesting that a sitting judge or a committee appointed by the High Court be appointed to investigate the claims made by Naidu.

“Naidu is involved in diversion politics, he is trying to divert the attention of from the mismanagement of floods in Vijayawada and  confuse the devotees by showing fake lab reports of the laddoos made after the alliance government was formed,” former Minister and YSRCP leader K Govardhan Reddy said.

Not new

This is not the first time allegations of substandard ingredients in preparing the laddoos has been made. This despite the fact that, according to TTD, there is an expert committee in place to oversee the purchase of high-quality ghee, improve procurement standards and conduct rigorous tests for adulteration, and suppliers providing substandard ghee are blacklisted

The Nandini angle

There seems to be another angle to the case as, in 2023, the Jagan Mohan Reddy government ended a 15-year partnership with Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) for sourcing Nandini ghee following pricing disputes.

After this, KMF president Bhima Naik was quoted as saying that the ghee contract had been awarded to another vendor and that the KMF did not participate in the tender process due to  the rise in the price of their ghee. He later accused the TTD of procuring low-quality ghee, a claim that was refuted by its officials, who said that only vendors meeting stringent quality standards and offering the lowest bid had been selected through an e-tendering process.

While TDP claims that TTD was “run for personal gain under YSRCP”, YSRCP leaders call the accusation an “affront to the temple’s sanctity”, adding that it was “unimaginable” that animal fat could have been used to prepare laddoos for the deity. Meanwhile, the lab report made public by the TDP claims the presence of beef tallow, lard and fish oil in the ‘prasadam’ samples.