Prakash Raj Criticises Pawan Kalyan For His 'Sanatan Board' comment on Tirupati Laddoo Adulteration

The controversy over the reported adulteration of the Tirupati laddoo has made Karnataka go for a huge testing drive of all prasadam (devotional food offerings) of prominent temples across the state. Pawan Kalyan, Andhra Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister, had said in a tweet that it is time to constitute a Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board at a National level to look into all temple-related issues. Now, actor Prakash Raj has replied to the Dy Chief Minister in a tweet. The actor tweeted, “Dear @PawanKalyan…It has happened in a state where you are a DCM .. Please Investigate ..Find out the Culprits and take stringent action. Why are you spreading apprehensions and blowing up the issue Nationally … We have enough Communal tensions in the Country. (Thanks to your friends in the Center )#justasking”.

Apart from Prakash Raj, many other prominent people have expressed their views on this issue. Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed that the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati. Naidu said that the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government used substandard ingredients and animal fat for making laddoos.

Later, TDP (Telugu Desam Party) spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy, addressed a press conference regarding this issue. Reddy claimed that the adulteration had been confirmed by a Gujarat-based livestock laboratory, on the ghee samples provided by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. The TDP spokesperson displayed the purported laboratory report which apparently confirmed the presence of ‘beef tallow, Lard, and Fish Oil in the given ghee sample.

Importance of the sacred Laddoo

The Tirupati Laddoo, also called the ‘Srivari Laddoo’, has been the main offering at the temple for more than 300 years. As per the beliefs, the laddoo is the favourite naivedyam (an offering to God) of Lord Venkateswara himself. According to the reports, prasad laddoo at the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the famous Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple, remains fresh for 15 days. It is because of their advanced packaging techniques. The World Wide Journals released a study in 2015, that covers research. This research revealed that laddoo offered at the Tirupati Temple comprises nearly one tonne of besan flour, 10 tonnes of sugar, 700 kg of cashew nuts and 150 kg of cardamom. It also comprises 300 to 500 liters of ghee, 500 kg of sugar candy, and 540 kg of raisins on an everyday basis.