TTD laddu ghee issue rocks AP legislative council for fourth straight day

Vijayawada: High drama continued in the legislative council on Thursday too opposition YSRCP members disrupted proceedings demanding discussion on the TTD adulterated ghee issue. The uproar began after council chairman K Moshenu Raju rejected the adjournment motion moved by YSRCP MLCs, including Mondithoka Arun Kumar and Varudu Kalyani, on the alleged link between Indapur Dairy and Heritage in the supply of substandard ghee to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. As tensions escalated, members stormed the podium, raising slogans and forcing the chairman to adjourn the House briefly. Expressing displeasure over the repeated interruptions, agriculture minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu accused YSRCP legislators of deliberately wasting the House's time despite the govt providing clear responses over the past three days. It's unfortunate to have an opposition that does not know the difference between cheese and ghee," he remarked. Atchannaidu also took exception to remarks by Botsa Satyanarayana, alleging that he displayed a cheese packet in the House and falsely claimed it was ghee while levelling allegations against Heritage Foods. He dared YSRCP members to present concrete evidence linking Indapur with Heritage, while asserting that the govt is ready for a detailed discussion for any length of time.Along with ministers Kollu Ravindra, Angani Satya Prasad, and Kondapalli Srinivas, he later addressed the media at the assembly lobby, stating that the govt will agree to discuss the adulterated Tirumala laddu ghee issue in the legislative council only after YSRCP MLCs tendered an apology. The ministers said former TTD chairmen Y V Subba Reddy and Bhumana Karunakar Reddy admitted to adulteration in the ghee used for preparation of laddu prasadam, which was also confirmed by the SIT and laboratory reports. They expressed anger over opposition members claiming in the House that there was no adulteration, calling the statements misleading.