The Andhra Pradesh government will consult priests and leading experts in Hinduism to decide what to do next about the issue of "adulterated prasadam" at the Tirupati Balaji temple, as announced by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday.
The announcement from TDP leader N. Chandrababu Naidu came after he claimed that during the previous government, led by his rival YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, 'laddus' containing 'animal fat' were given as 'prasadam' at the Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati.
The TTD backed Naidu's claim, while YS Jagan Mohan Reddy vehemently denied it.
“We are discussing what to do next and how to go forward with respect to the TTD. After deliberating with pontiffs, priests and Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) experts, we will decide on how the ‘samprokshana’ (ritualistic sanitisation) should be done,” an official release quoted the chief minister as saying, PTI reported.
He also mentioned that "many people tried to make better prasadam, but they failed."
“In Ayodhya also, they tried to replicate the Tirumala laddu, but this could not be done. I was told about this by people from there (Ayodhya). The Tirupati laddu is centuries old,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gujarat-based dairy company Amul filed a First Information Report (FIR), claiming there was a "misinformation campaign" suggesting that the ghee used for the 'laddus' was supplied by them.
In a separate statement, Amul clarified that it has never supplied ghee to TTD.
“We also wish to clarify Amul Ghee is made from milk at our certified and state-of-the-art production facilities. Amul Ghee is India's most trusted ghee brand for more than 50 years and continues to be an integral part of Indian households. This post is being issued to stop the misinformation campaign," the statement read.