Tirupati Laddu row: A R Dairy gets notice; purification ritual held, devotees assured sanctity restored
A four-hour purification ritual was conducted at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam shrine to appease Lord Venkateswara Swamy amid allegations of mixing animal fats in Tirupati laddus.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) executive officer J Shyamala Rao has assured devotees that their concerns regarding the temple laddus can be put to rest as the sanctity of the ‘prasadams’ has been restored following the purification ritual.
Meanwhile, India’s food safety regulator has also issued a show-cause notice to a Tamil Nadu firm for allegedly providing substandard ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam temple authority.
This comes amid increasing calls for a comprehensive investigation and strict action regarding claims of animal fat being used in Tirupati laddus.
BJP leader and former minister Subramanian Swamy has urged for a court-monitored investigation. Meanwhile, former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman and YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy, who denied the allegations of adulteration has sought an inquiry by an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge.
The Vishva Hindu Parishad’s apex body also urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the allegations regarding the adulteration of Tirupati laddus.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu has announced a special investigation team to look into these claims.
In response to the situation, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has queried A R Dairy Food Private Ltd regarding the potential suspension of its central licence due to violations of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011, as per sources.
The notice indicated that FSSAI received information from the Director of the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, highlighting that A R Dairy Food Private Ltd in Dindigul has been a ghee supplier to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) for the past four years.
The issue gained national attention after Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that substandard ingredients and animal fats were used in the preparation of the laddus during the previous YSRCP government.
However, YSRCP chief and former chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has refuted all allegations.