CBI-led SIT probe decisive blow to politically manufactured laddu prasadam 'falsehood', says YSRCP
Amaravati (PTI): A group of senior YSRCP leaders on Thursday said the CBI-led SIT probe into the alleged Tirupati laddu ghee adulteration case has delivered a "decisive blow to the politically manufactured falsehood" that the consecrated sweet was adulterated.
Responding, the ruling TDP said that the Special Investigation Team "proved" that the laddu prasadam was adulterated, highlighting that temples are being cleansed and the truth is being told to people under the TDP-led NDA government.
Recently, the SIT filed the final chargesheet in Nellore ACB Court, naming 36 people as accused and this included nine TTD officials, five dairy experts and others.
The chargesheet noted that dairy experts had allegedly colluded with the ghee manufacturers and observed that the original material which was sold to the temple body as ghee was not at all ghee but chemically processed palmolein oil and other ingredients.
"The CBI-led SIT final chargesheet has delivered a decisive blow to a politically manufactured falsehood around Tirumala laddu prasadam by the Chandrababu camp," YSRCP leaders RK Roja and M Manohar Reddy said in a press release.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had claimed in September 2024 that animal fat was used in preparing Tirupati laddus during the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led regime in the state, triggering a massive political row.
He had alleged that the erstwhile YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fats for making laddus, which are revered and sought after by crores of devotees. The allegations sparked a massive controversy across the country, hurting the sentiments of crores of Hindus.
Roja and Manohar Reddy claimed that the chargesheet "categorically confirms there was no animal fat, no pig fat, and no fish oil in the ghee used for laddus".
According to the opposition leaders, the final chargesheet, prepared under judicial supervision and filed before the court, has conclusively disproved the allegations made by Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan and their allies.
The YSRCP leaders asserted that the most faith-sensitive claim at the heart of the controversy has collapsed.
Criticising the ruling coalition government for allegedly dragging Lord Venkateswara Swamy and the centuries-old sanctity of Tirumala into a political controversy, Roja and Reddy claimed the narrative is being kept alive even after scientific reports have disproved the animal fat claim.
Roja said the SIT report was nothing short of a "direct slap", emphasising that the "truth has come out only because the investigation and laboratory tests were conducted under national institutions and judicial oversight".
She stated that the controversy was also allegedly used to divert attention from governance failures, including the 2024 Vijayawada floods, calling for moral accountability from those who made the claims.
Reddy underscored that the opposition party will lodge a complaint with the police over alleged erection of flexi posters and the circulation of theories contravening the CBI chargesheet.
He said YSRCP will also approach the High Court over this matter.
Continuing the propaganda after the SIT findings amounts to deceiving the public and attacking the Hindu faith, the YSRCP leaders alleged, demanding the ruling coalition to stop politicising Tirumala, apologise to devotees and face legal and moral responsibility for what they termed as deliberate "misuse of religion for politics".
Echoing Roja and Manohar Reddy, senior YSRCP leader and former Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam chairman B Karunakar Reddy asserted that the chargesheet exposed the alleged false propaganda and political drama created by the coalition leaders, adding that the CBI findings were a direct answer to their "misleading campaign".
"The CBI report on the alleged laddu adulteration categorically stated that there was a nexus between certain officials and ghee suppliers, and that there was no mention of any YSRCP leader in the case," said Karunakar Reddy.
Despite this, Karunakar Reddy alleged, CM Naidu continued to make allegations even in Cabinet meetings, falsely claiming that relaxation of tender norms led to adulteration.
Brushing aside these charges, Karunakar Reddy noted that both Naidu and Pawan Kalyan had spoken "loudly" about adulteration and claimed that the CBI report "clearly confirmed that no animal fat was found in the Tirupati laddu".
The YSRCP leader challenged the TDP-led NDA government to order a CBI probe into ghee supply to the temple body during the erstwhile TDP government's tenure between 2014 and 2019 to "reveal the complete truth".
According to Karunakar Reddy, the NDA alliance government used tankers (ghee) that were earlier rejected by the TTD board appointed during the previous YSRCP regime between 2019 and 2024, asserting that it was a "fact mentioned in the CBI report".
The false propaganda of the coalition has completely fallen flat, he said, adding that their counterattack following the report is nothing but a "shameful attempt to divert attention".
TDP leader G Anuradha said that the SIT proved that the laddu prasadam was adulterated, highlighting that temples are being cleansed and the truth is being told to people.
Addressing a press conference at NTR Bhavan in Vijayawada, she alleged that the Tirupati laddu had lost its quality during the erstwhile YSRCP government.
"TDP had raised suspicions back then itself over devotees making an issue over the lack of proper ghee smell," she said, adding that nobody in the YSRCP is admitting it now.
Further, Anuradha alleged that "Hinduism was insulted" during the YSRCP regime, including "breaking" Lord Ram's idol at Ramatheertham and "burning" a chariot at Antarvedi, among others during its five-year tenure.
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The Latest: Kuwait blames Iran for drone strikes as Trump casts doubt on ceasefire
Dubai (AP): US President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the effectiveness of the two-week ceasefire over Iran's continued chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz, while Kuwait accused Iran and its proxies of launching drone attacks targeting it on Thursday despite the ceasefire.
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied launching attacks on Persian Gulf states after Kuwait's announcement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a potential boost to ceasefire efforts in the region when he said he had approved direct talks with Lebanon. The Lebanese government has not responded as of Friday morning.
The announcement came after Israel's pounding of Beirut Wednesday killed more than 300 people. The negotiations are expected next week in Washington, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Questions remained over what will happen to Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium at the heart of tensions, how and when normal traffic will resume through the Strait of Hormuz, and what happens to Iran's ability to launch future missile attacks and support armed proxies in the region.
Talks between the United States and Iran on a resolution to the conflict are expected to start Saturday in Islamabad, with the White House saying Vice President JD Vance would lead the US delegation.
Here is the latest:
Air defence fire and explosions heard in Iran
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Multiple times overnight into Friday morning, people around Iran's capital, Tehran, and other parts of the country said they heard what sounded like air defence fire and explosions.
However, Iran's government did not acknowledge any attack during that period.
After past exchanges of fire with Israel, similar incidents happened as troops remained on edge.
Japan releases more oil reserves
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Japan said it will release an additional 20 days' worth of oil reserves in May, in a second round to address supply uncertainty over the war in the Middle East.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the planned release of the government reserves will start in early May, after an earlier release last month.
Japan started releasing about 50 days' worth of oil reserves in March, including from those held by the state, the private sector and oil-producing Gulf nations.
As of April 6, Japan had 230 days' worth oil reserves, including 143 days' worth in government stockpiles, according to the Natural Resources and Energy Agency.
Takaichi said her government is working to secure oil imports via routes that do not include the Strait of Hormuz, while Japan seeks to diversify suppliers.
Pakistan to issue visas on arrival ahead of talks
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Pakistan said Friday it would issue visas on arrival for those travelling to Islamabad for the Iran-US talks, signalling the interest in the world's media in the event.
