20 crore Tirumala laddus made with adulterated ghee, Naidu tells Assembly

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu stated in the Legislative Assembly that nearly 20 crore Tirumala laddus were prepared using adulterated ghee during the previous regime, describing the episode as a “Mahapaapam” (great sin).

He said 20.01 crore laddus were allegedly made with compromised ingredients, deeply affecting the faith of devotees of Lord Sri Venkateswara. Citing the findings of a CBI-supervised Special Investigation Team (SIT), he noted that between 2019 and 2024, about 59.71 lakh litres of adulterated ghee was used, involving alleged irregularities worth Rs. 231.51 crore.

The Chief Minister further said that tender norms had been relaxed to favor certain firms. Requirements such as annual turnover, milk procurement capacity, production experience, and technical scrutiny were reduced or removed, enabling inexperienced suppliers to enter the system. Bribes were paid, laboratory reports were forged, and oversight mechanisms bypassed , he alleged.