Changed ghee brand behind ‘animal fat in Tirupati laddoo’ controversy?
ANDHRA PRADESH, SEPT 20 : At the heart of the massive row over the presence of animal fat in Tirupati laddoos is the quality of ghee used to make the prasadam. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s claim, citing a lab report, that fish oil and beef tallow were found in the ghee procured during the YSR Congress Party regime has brought into focus the halt in the supply of the famous Nandini ghee last year.
The quality of the ghee has a major role to play in determining the taste of Srivari laddoos at the Sri Venkateswara temple, which draws thousands of devotees per day.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board, which manages the temple, invites tenders for the supply of ghee every six months and purchases 5 lakh kg of ghee every year.
Last year, the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government stopped sourcing the Nandini ghee for the laddoos from the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), after nearly 15 years of association, over pricing issues.
The Karnataka Milk Federation had skipped the bidding process as a hike in milk prices prevented it from providing its ghee at a competitive rate. Last year, the Karnataka Cabinet approved a Rs 3 per litre hike in the price of Nandini milk. Hence, the contract was awarded to the lowest bidder.
The development kicked off a major row after KMF president K Bheema Naik suggested that “discriminatory practices” kept Nandini ghee out of the renowned Tirumala laddoo.
“The laddoos will not be the same any more. Nandini provides the best ghee in the market and goes through all the quality checks. If any brand is supplying ghee for a price lower than Nandini, I assume that the quality will be compromised,” Naik had claimed.
The remarks triggered a political blame game, with the BJP accusing the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka of political meddling in the Tirupati temple’s affairs. There were also allegations of “compromised laddoo quality” and the YSRCP government pressuring the temple board to source the ghee from another brand.
However, the KMF has resumed supplying its famous Nandini ghee to TTD from August after Chandrababu Naidu’s directive to improve the quality of laddoos. The development came after Naidu’s TDP stormed to power in Andhra Pradesh in the July Assembly polls, winning 167 seats in alliance with the BJP and Janasena.
Around 3.5 lakh laddoos are produced every day at Tirupati, and it costs nearly Rs 40 to make a single piece. To prepare the laddoos, around 400-500 kg of ghee, 750 kg of cashew nuts, 500 kg of raisins, and 200 kg of cardamom are required every day.
Following the recent controversy, the TTD has formed a committee to advise on terms and conditions to be included for procuring quality ghee for the laddoos.
-PTI
