Laddu Row: Never Supplied Ghee To Tirupati Temple Says Amul

NEW DELHI(ANI) – Amid a row over the use of animal fat in prasada given at Tirumala temple in Andhra’s Tirupati district, Amul issued a clarification on September 20, that it had never supplied ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD).

“We also wish to clarify Amul Ghee is made from milk at our state-of-the-art production facilities, which are ISO certified. Amul Ghee is made from high-quality pure milk fat. The milk received at our dairies passes through stringent quality checks, including adulteration detection as specified by FSSAI,” it added.

This came two days after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were used in the preparation of Tirupati laddus, a sweet offered at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, during the previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government.

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy stated that the TDP was “politicizing religious matters.”

Union Health Minister JP Nadda said the Centre would examine the matter and take suitable action.

TDP MP Sribharat Mathukumilli said lab reports categorically showed that a particular fat based on its S value is not within the stipulated range and is not milk fat, it is not ghee.”It is a mix of vegetable oils and, shockingly, beef fat and pig fat. This has shaken devotees and all followers of Hinduism across the country,” the TDP leader said.