YSRCP seeks central probe into TTD laddu ghee procurement

Vijayawada: The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Saturday alleged that a "larger conspiracy" was behind the controversy over the Tirupati laddu and accused chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu of engineering the row to cover up an alleged Rs 200 crore ghee procurement scam in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).Addressing the media, YSRCP state coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy demanded a Central probe into the steep increase in ghee procurement prices and the tender process adopted by TTD. He alleged that tenders were manipulated to favour select companies and that prices were hiked far above market rates, causing heavy losses to the temple body.Sajjala claimed that the price of ghee purchased by TTD rose sharply from around ₹475 per kg to ₹716 after Sep 2024, despite the same product being available at significantly lower prices in the open market. He alleged that the price escalation was part of a systematic effort to benefit companies allegedly close to Naidu.According to him, the controversy over alleged adulteration in Tirupati laddu was deliberately triggered to divert public attention from irregularities in the tender process. "Naidu raised irresponsible allegations and used his propaganda machinery to target the previous YSRCP govt after losing the credibility to politically confront Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy," Sajjala said.He also alleged that a "well-oiled mechanism" was put in place to ensure that ghee supply contracts went to favoured firms through manipulated bids. The tender conditions, he said, were structured in a way that only a few companies—Nandini, Sangam and Indapur—could secure the orders either individually or on a sharing basis.Sajjala further accused the state govt of attempting to deflect scrutiny by appointing a one-man commission to examine the issue after the controversy intensified. He said the move was aimed at shifting focus and targeting political opponents."The core issue is the massive financial irregularity in ghee procurement. While TTD paid as high as ₹716, which increased from ₹475 per kg," he alleged. He said that Heritage ghee in the market was available at ₹541 per kg, Indapur at ₹578 per kg, while Amul was sold at ₹525 per kg.He said that it clearly showed that all the brands, including the company owned by Naidu's family, sold ghee at almost ₹200 per kg less than the prices paid by TTD. He charged that the entire episode of adulterated ghee was scripted only to loot Lord Sri Venkateswara's money.He said that Naidu encouraged his benami firms to enter the tenders with high prices and also offered to pay the cost within 30 days. Claiming that the excess payments since Sep 2024 could exceed ₹200 crore, Sajjala said the entire episode pointed to a "planned economic conspiracy" masked by political allegations.