The row around animal fat allegedly being found in laddus served at Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati temple escalated on Friday, with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu accusing the previous YSR Congress Party government of committing “unpardonable mistakes”, Union Health Minister J P Nadda seeking a report from the state, and YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy saying Naidu was using God for political gains.
“We have changed the ghee supplier. People are saying their sentiments were hurt. When the sentiments were hurt, when unpardonable mistakes were committed, should I spare (those responsible)?” Naidu said.
Under fire, Jagan said at a press conference: “This is diversionary politics. People are expressing their anger at hundred days of Naidu’s rule, asking what happened to their ‘super six’ (poll promises). To divert people’s attention, this story has been concocted.”
Nadda, meanwhile, said he came to know of the incident from news reports and immediately reached out to Naidu, asking him to share a preliminary report. Nadda said he would receive the report from the state on Friday itself, and consult state regulators if action is needed.
Meanwhile, an official with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) — the board that manages the Sri Venkateswara temple — said that firms promising to supply ghee at such a low price should have been a red flag for the previous government.
TTD executive officer J Syamala Rao said that four ghee samples were sent to NDDB CALF (Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food) on July 6 and July 12 this year. All four, Rao claimed, had been supplied by A R Dairy Food Private Limited and had arrived in four tankers.
According to Rao, the former YSRCP government had floated a tender for supply of ghee on March 12 this year, and it was awarded on May 8. The supply started from May 15.
In July last year, the TTD had decided not to renew its contract with the Karnataka Milk Federation and instead opted for other suppliers after floating e-tenders. After the TDP-led NDA came to power in June this year, the contracts were cancelled and TTD renewed ties with the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) to supply Nandini brand ghee again.
“The quality of ghee in two tankers that arrived on July 6 and two on July 12 was really bad. It looked like ghee but it was not. Immediately, all supplies were stopped and action was initiated. TTD does not have an adulteration testing lab, and samples have to be sent to NABL-accredited labs. It was decided to test the four samples at the NDDB CALF lab, which revealed the presence of animal fat,” Rao said on Friday.
“Pure cow ghee cannot be supplied at Rs 320 per kg. It is not a viable price. The low rate should have been a red flag because the quality of ghee would be compromised. When the new government was sworn in and I was appointed the executive officer, the CM expressed concern about the quality of laddus as well as the quality of ghee used. We warned the ghee suppliers that action would be taken if they fail the quality tests. Among the suppliers, ghee supplied by A R Dairy Foods was found to be substandard, so we sent the samples to the lab,” Rao said, adding that the firm has been blacklisted.
The chairman of KMF, Bheema Naik, had also said earlier that they were selling ghee at Rs 400 per kg, and that if any company had bid at a much lower price, they would compromise on the quality.
“A committee appointed by the Naidu government has recommended that the TTD set up its own adulteration testing lab. This was the first time in the history of TTD that ghee samples have been sent outside of TTD labs for testing. Our labs test for other parameters in the products that are procured but we lack adulteration testing equipment,” Rao said, adding that a total of five suppliers were awarded the contracts in May, and only one failed the test.
A R Dairy Food Private Limited, the firm under scanner, denied the claims.
The company, based in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, said that it is one of the many suppliers of ghee to TTD. “First of all, the NDDB lab test report does not say that the ghee sample was from A R Diary. The report also mentions that there is a possibility of false positive results. TTD accepted the tankers of ghee we provided this June and July only after test reports were to their satisfaction. We stopped supplying after July as TTD changed the vendors. There are a number of reasons why traces of foreign fat may be found in ghee, including cow feed,” the head of quality control department at A R Dairy Food told The Indian Express.
“That ghee sample cannot be from A R Dairy Food Private Limited, that is our stand,” she said.
The ruling TDP’s spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy also told The Indian Express on Friday that the TTD, under YSRCP government, had awarded the contract to procure ghee to the lowest bidder, who quoted Rs 320 per kg.
“It is not possible to supply pure and unadulterated ghee at that rate when the market rate for good quality pure ghee can be Rs 900 per kg. The YSRCP government compromised on the quality of ghee by going for such a low bid,” Reddy claimed.
Reddy said that the KMF has now agreed to supply ghee at Rs 475 per kg although it will incur a loss. “KMF’s understanding is that they will recover the loss from the rise in sales due to increase in the brand value of Nandini ghee, which is used to prepare the Tirupati laddus,” Reddy said.
