- By Aditya Jha
- Sat, 21 Sep 2024 03:01 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Tirupati Laddu Row: AR Dairy, the company that supplied ghee to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams in Andhra Pradesh, has refuted the allegations of substandard ingredients and 'animal fat' being present in their product. The clarification came amid the outrage after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed that the laddus offered as 'prasad' in the Tirupati temple contained animal fat during the previous YSRCP government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy.
AR Dairy Food Private Limited has been accused of providing products of substandard ingredients to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. TTD manages the production of the prasad, reported news agency PTI. AR Dairy clarified to PTI that it supplied milk to the TTD only in June and July, saying that the company also provided lab reports with the milk supply.
According to a report by News 18, Rajasekaran R, director of AR Dairy, said that there is no possibility of the presence of animal fat in the ghee supplied by his firm. "We are using only cow milk for our ghee. Each and every batch is tested, and we have laboratory reports. The ghee we produce is dispatched only after proper testing," he said as quoted by News 18.
Apart from AR Dairy, several suppliers of milk, including Amul, have denied all the allegations related to the supply of impure milk. AR Dairy has also demanded to analyse the reports of the Gujarat laboratory, which claimed that 'animal fat' was used in the ghee.
A massive controversy sparked after Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu claimed that 'animal fat' was used to make prasad in Tirupati during the tenure of YSRCP. The ruling TDP cited lab reports to back their claim. Union food minister Prahlad Joshi has called for a probe after Naidu's claims sparked a political row in Andhra Pradesh. However, Jagan Mohan Reddy has denied any wrongdoings and slammed CM Naidu for "using faith for political benefits."
Earlier on Friday, Union Health Minister JP Nadda also asked CM Naidu for a detailed report on the issue. Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Ayodhya temple, also expressed his anger and concern, saying that the prasad from Tirupati was also distributed during the consecration ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya in January.
