The issue of adulteration in the Prasad of Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam Temple has gained momentum.
New Delhi: Now the Modi government has also come into action in the case of adulterated ghee being found in the prasad of Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam temple. Health Minister JP Nadda has spoken to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in this matter. Also, Health Minister JP Nadda has sought a lab test report from the Andhra Pradesh government. The Center will now get the NDDB test report examined by FSSAI. The Health Minister has said that action will be taken against whoever is found guilty. Meanwhile, YSR Congress has moved the High Court against the allegations of CM Chandrababu Naidu and has appealed to the court to investigate the matter. The High Court will now hear this matter on Wednesday.
Confirmation of presence of animal fat and fish oil in laddus
There is an uproar after the revelation of the alleged conspiracy to divide the religion of crores of Hindus in Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam, one of the richest temples in the world. The laddus given to the devotees as prasad in Tirupati temple have been confirmed to contain animal fat and fish oil. After this revelation, everyone from South to North is stunned. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Temple’s Executive Officer Shamala Rao has also admitted that the sanctity of the temple has been violated. Shamala Rao alleged that the previous government had not taken any steps to check adulteration. He said that one of the major reasons for adulterated ghee in prasad is its price.
‘Pure ghee offered to God cannot be bought for Rs 320’
Shamala Rao said, ‘The prices quoted for buying ghee in the tender were not practical. Anyone can understand that pure ghee to be offered to God cannot be bought for Rs 320. At least Rs 500 per kg will have to be paid for it. We started working on this and warned all the suppliers that if adulterated ghee is supplied, we will blacklist you. The quality of all the suppliers was good except one. That company is AR Food Tamil Nadu. We sent their sample to NDDB lab. Pure milk fat in pure ghee should be between 95.68 to 104.32 but sadly, the value of milk fat was found to be only 20 in all these samples. This means that the ghee was adulterated to a great extent.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has made serious allegations against the previous government.
‘Till date we have not faced any such problem with ghee’
In the report of NDDB regarding adulterated ghee in Tirupati temple’s prasad, a Chennai-based company named AR Dairy and Agro Products has been accused of adulteration. However, the company is completely denying the report and is saying that its ghee meets every quality standard. The company says, ‘The ghee that we sent to TTD in June-July, its sample test was collected by FSSAI and Agmark. Our sample was also passed in TTD’s lab. Last month, when this rumor spread, even then FSSAI came here and collected samples of our ghee which passed the lab test. Till date, there has been no such problem with our ghee. Our products and samples are always in the factory. Anyone can come and test them.’
‘It is clear that the quality of the prasad has been compromised’
CM Chandrababu Naidu has been continuously accusing the previous Jagan government of adulteration in the Tirupati temple’s Prasad. Naidu said that those who violated the sanctity of the Tirupati temple, cheated God, Lord Venkateswara will punish them in this birth itself. He said, ‘The things that have come to light in the investigation of the desecration of Prasad show that those people were so arrogant that they thought that no one can harm them. They did not even respect the feelings of the common people. The lab report that I have received clearly shows that the quality of Prasad was compromised, impure things were mixed in it.’
Former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has categorically denied the allegations.
Jagan Mohan Reddy categorically denied Naidu’s allegations
After remaining silent for several days on the allegations of adulteration in Tirupati temple’s prasad, former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy reacted for the first time on Friday. He completely rejected the allegations of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and said that adulterated ghee was never used in the temple’s prasad, Chandrababu Naidu is just serving his political interests by instigating people. He said, ‘Chandrababu Naidu spread this lie to divert people’s attention. He stooped so low that he even damaged the reputation of the temple. Whatever happened here is actually a part of the routine practice of the temple which was presented in a wrong way for political gain.’
YSR Congress challenged Naidu’s allegations in the High Court
Reddy said, ‘TTD invites tenders every 6 months. As a routine, tenders are given to those who are selected. These criteria have not been decided today. They have been going on like this for 10 years.’ The issue of adulteration in Tirumala Prasad has now reached the court. YSR Congress has challenged the allegations made by Chief Minister Chandrababu on Tirumala Laddu Prasad in the High Court. The lawyers on behalf of the party have mentioned the allegations in the High Court bench and have demanded that the matter be investigated by a sitting judge or a committee formed by the High Court. The High Court bench will hear arguments on the matter on Wednesday.
“This needs to be looked into deeply.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has also raised questions on the issue of adulteration in the prasad of Tirupati temple. He has posted on social media and said that the reports of desecration of prasad are disturbing and this issue should be considered deeply. He said, ‘The reports of desecration of prasad at Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati are disturbing. Lord Balaji is a revered deity for millions of devotees in India and around the world. This issue will sadden every devotee and needs to be considered deeply. Authorities across India have to protect the sanctity of our religious places.’
Saints also reacted strongly on Tirupati Laddu controversy
At the same time, saints across the country are also angry after it came to light that Lord Venkatesh’s Prasad Laddus contain animal fat and fish oil. They are demanding death penalty for those who desecrate Hinduism. Reacting to this, Satendra Das, the chief priest of Ram temple, said that this has hurt faith. At the same time, Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad President Ravindra Puri demanded death penalty for the culprits. On the issue of ‘unholy’ Prasad in Tirupati Balaji temple, people are also demanding action against the culprits on social media.
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