Amaravati: Nearly 20 crore Tirumala laddoos were allegedly prepared using fake ghee over a five-year period, Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan told the state Assembly on Tuesday.
He was citing the findings of a CBI-led Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the controversial supply of ingredients for the sacred prasadam, as reported by News18.
The SIT had conclusively found that no milk was used in the manufacture of ghee supplied for preparation of the laddoos that are prasadam of Lord Venkateswara, Kalyan said during a short discussion on the subject.
The ghee that was used was allegedly produced using palm oil blended with chemicals, he said.
While the investigation pointed to adulteration, the SIT currently lacks the technological capability to scientifically establish the precise chemical composition and origin of the substances used, the deputy CM said.
The SIT has identified 36 accused persons and concluded that the adulteration was the result of a planned conspiracy aimed at defiling the sacred prasadam, he added.
According to Kalyan, tender conditions for ghee supply were deliberately diluted to favour select companies, indicating a premeditated effort to manipulate the procurement process. Several eligibility norms were relaxed during the tendering process, he said.
Reducing the minimum annual turnover requirement for suppliers from Rs 250 crore to Rs 150 crore, removing the condition mandating daily procurement of four lakh litres of milk, cutting down the required dairy industry experience from three years to one year, and lowering the production requirement from 12 tonnes of butter or ghee per day to eight tonnes, were among the changes made to ensure that contracts were awarded to preferred entities.
The selected companies supplied ghee between 2020 and 2023, following the revised tender conditions, despite allegedly lacking the minimum qualifications, the SIT has noted in its chargesheet.
Kalyan said that the investigation reportedly found that firms such as Bhole Baba and its associated entities Mahalakshmi Ganga and Vaishnavi Dairy did not produce even a single litre of ghee from milk.
Between 2019 and 2024, around 1.1 billion devotees visited Tirumala and approximately 480 million laddoo prasadam units were sold, Kalyan said, highlighting the scale of the alleged malpractice.
Of the nearly 480 million laddoo prasadam units sold, about 200 million were allegedly made using fake ghee, as found on the records of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
The investigation had established a conspiracy angle in the case and stressed the need for accountability to protect the sanctity of one of the country’s most revered religious offerings, Kalyan said.
