Hyderabad: The row over Tirupati Prasadam is set to escalate after a lab report has confirmed that the laddoos offered to devotees at the famous Sri Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh contain animal fats and fish oil.
NDDB CALF, a private laboratory based in Gujarat’s Anand which specialises in testing animal feed, milk and milk products, has found that samples of the ghee used in making Tirupati laddoos contained foreign fat, including palm oil, fish oil, beef tallow and lard (obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig).
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had accused the previous state government, headed by Jagan Mohan Reddy (YSR Congress), of using animal fat and substandard ingredients in making the prasadam for Tirupati devotees.
Jagan had dismissed Naidu’s allegation as “malicious”, saying that the TDP supremo can “stoop to any level” for political gains.
Now that a lab report has corroborated Naidu’s claim, Jagan could face major trouble.
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief Y S Sharmila has already demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has called the prasadam row as a “serious issue” and called for punishment for those who used animal fat in Tirupati laddoos.
“This is a very serious issue, raised by none other than Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. Punish those who used animal fat in Tirupati laddu prasadam,” VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said in a statement.