Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party chief, Pawan Kalyan, has called for the establishment of a ‘Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board’ in response to the escalating controversy over the ingredients used in Tirupati ladoos.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Pawan Kalyan writes, “We are all deeply disturbed by the findings of animal fat mixed in Tirupati Balaji Prasad. Many questions remain unanswered by the TTD [Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams] board constituted by the YCP [Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party] government.” He stated that the Andhra Pradesh government is committed to taking strict action against those responsible.
Pawan Kalyan also appealed for a broader national initiative, saying, “The time has come to constitute a ‘Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board’ at a national level to address all issues related to temples across Bharath [India].”
The controversy intensified after Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu accused the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government of using animal fat in the ladoo ‘prasadam’. Naidu’s allegations were bolstered by a statement from TDP General Secretary Nara Lokesh Naidu, who claimed that laboratory tests confirmed the presence of fish oil and beef tallow in the ghee used for the ladoos.
Initially dismissing the allegations, the YSR Congress Party has since remained silent following the release of the purported test results by the TDP on social media.
Pawan Kalyan, in his social media post, also raised concerns about “the desecration of temples and temple land issues,” urging collective efforts to protect Sanatana Dharma. “I believe we should all come together to end the desecration of ‘Sanatana Dharma’ in any form,” he wrote.
Supreme Court lawyer Vineet Jindal had filed a complaint in court regarding the use of non-vegetarian ingredients against the Home Ministry, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, TTD officials, and a ghee contractor.
On September 19, a lab test report revealed that the ghee used to make the famous Tirupati laddu prasadam contained beef fat, fish oil, and lard (pig fat). The report from the Centre of Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) lab at Gujarat’s National Dairy Development Board stated, “The S value of all equations for the sample coded as AB023654 fell outside the range prescribed by the method. If any S-value falls outside the corresponding limits, consider the sample to contain a foreign fat.”
The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is among the most revered Hindu temples worldwide. The temple is well-known for its grand rituals and laddu prasadam, regarded as a divine delicacy. Consequently, this shocking development has infuriated devotees including JSP Chief Pawan Kalyan.
