Tirupati laddu ghee adulteration occurred during TDP regime, claims YSRCP chief

Amaravati: YSRCP supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday alleged that all irregularities in the Tirupati laddu ghee supply occurred during the tenure of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, questioning attempts to link the current YSRCP government to the controversy.

Addressing a press conference at the YSRCP central office in Tadepalli, Reddy said that issues relating to tender approvals, ghee supply, rejection of adulterated ghee tankers, and their alleged rerouting back to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) all occurred after the TDP-led NDA government assumed office.

"When did all these events take place—from tender finalisation, ghee supply, testing, tanker rejection, to TTD accepting the same tankers again? How is YSRCP connected?" Reddy asked.

According to him, AR Dairy began supplying ghee on June 12, 2024. Four of its ghee tankers passed TTD purity tests on June 12, 20, and 25, and July 4. However, four other tankers failed tests on July 6 and 12, 2024. The NDDB report was received on July 23, and the rejected tankers were returned on July 25 and allegedly parked at a stone crusher in Srikalahasti on July 27.

Reddy claimed that during August and September 2024, the rejected tankers were secretly resupplied to TTD, citing the CBI-led SIT chargesheet investigating the ghee adulteration case.

“When all fingers of suspicion are pointing towards Chandrababu, he has been blaming YSRCP. The entire Tirupati laddu issue is rooted in the corruption and irregularities in ghee supply that occurred during the TDP term, as endorsed by the CBI chargesheet. The evidence is in the open, yet he has been bluffing and dragging God into politics,” claimed Reddy.

He also accused Naidu of enabling Indapur Dairy and Milk Products Ltd to participate in TTD tenders.

He claimed that Indapur Dairy was officially identified by Heritage, a dairy company owned by Naidu’s family, as its manufacturing unit until February 10, 2026, and was later redesignated as a co-manufacturing location amid controversy over its association with Heritage and TTD ghee supply.

However, Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha refuted the claims, stating there is no link between Heritage and Indapur Dairy.

“Claims that Indapur is an associate or subsidiary of Heritage are completely false,” she said.

Alleging that Indapur Dairy entered the TTD ghee supply chain in 2015, Reddy claimed it had supplied ghee at Rs 278 per kg at that time.

However, on March 18, 2016, the YSRCP chief said that Indapur Dairy had failed lab tests, leading to its disqualification, “proving” that adulteration had occurred during the TDP regime between 2014 and 2019.

Although Indapur Dairy had initially failed the tests, Reddy alleged that within three months it managed to qualify again. On November 27, 2018, he said, “Heritage’s Indapur manufacturing unit bagged a tender to supply ghee at Rs 321 per kg.” After Naidu returned to power in 2024, Reddy alleged, the same Indapur Dairy secured a tender to supply ghee to TTD at Rs 658 per kg on December 16, 2025. “Earlier it was around Rs 330 per kg, and now the same company confirms a tender at Rs 658 during Naidu’s tenure,” he added.

“First, create a frightening atmosphere by questioning whether ghee could be available at Rs 300 per kg, scare away other suppliers, and finally place the order with Indapur Dairy at Rs 658,” Reddy claimed.

Rebutting Reddy, Anitha said Indapur Dairy is a much larger company, while Heritage is comparatively smaller.

“Typically, a smaller company functions as a unit of a larger company, not the other way around. Therefore, the allegation that Indapur Dairy is linked as a unit of Heritage is baseless,” she said.

She noted that Heritage procures about 20 lakh litres of milk per day, whereas Indapur Dairy procures around 40 lakh litres, making it the larger entity.

The minister added that Indapur Dairy primarily engages in bulk marketing, while smaller companies purchase products from it for consumer marketing.

Heritage, she explained, buys products such as cheese, paneer, and tetra packs from Indapur Dairy.

She clarified that Heritage has never supplied ghee in bulk, as it has its own manufacturing unit and focuses only on consumer marketing. Heritage has also never transported ghee in bulk tankers.

Reflecting on Andhra Pradesh’s 2026–27 budget, Reddy called it “a bundle of lies,” saying the figures do not add up and estimates do not match the required expenditure.

“Chandrababu has once again cheated all sections of society. Farmers, students, women, youth, and employees are shortchanged, while allocations for schemes are meagre, indicating that the number of beneficiaries is being reduced regularly,” he alleged.

Reddy added that health, education, agriculture, and welfare sectors are "badly affected as coalition election promises remain unimplemented, leaving people frustrated with the government." Observing mismanagement of state finances, he claimed that Andhra Pradesh ranks at the bottom among Indian states in revenue collection, adding that the budget book format has been changed to “hide the actual loans taken.” He also noted that the number of pensioners has decreased from 66.3 lakh to around 61 lakh, and current allocations suggest it may decrease further. PTI STH SSK