Prove claim or face defamation suit: YV Subba Reddy to CM Naidu
VIJAYAWADA: Condemning Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s comments accusing the previous regime of using animal fat for making Srivari laddus, YSRC Rajya Sabha MP and former TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) chairman YV Subba Reddy said the party will move the Supreme Court and file a defamation case if the TDP-led NDA government does not submit evidence to support its claims.
Charging Naidu with hurting the sentiments of lakhs of devotees of Lord Venkateswara, Subba Reddy asserted, “As a Hindu and a devotee of Lord Venkateswara, I have strived to ensure no mistake or sacrilege occurred in TTD. My family and I are ready to take an oath before the almighty regarding Tirumala Prasadam. Is Chandrababu willing to do the same with his family?”
Speaking to mediapersons at the YSRC party headquarters on Thursday, the MP said Naidu had stooped to an all-time low to gain political mileage.
Asserting that the Srivari temple Trust not only maintained high standards in preparing Naivedyam and Prasadam from 2019 to 2024, but also improved the quality of the ingredients used in comparison to before 2019, the two-time former TTD chairman said, “In the run-up to elections, the TDP chief (Naidu) had made several baseless allegations against the YSRC government and resorted to malicious propaganda, besides making a plethora of impossible promises. Now, after failing to keep those assurances in the first 100 days after forming government, Naidu is making such baseless allegations to divert the attention of people.”
Refuting the Chief Minister’s claims, Subba Reddy clarified that the TTD used only pure cow ghee and organic products for the Prasadam. He pointed out that 60 kgs of ghee was sourced daily from a dairy in Fatehpur, Rajasthan, with donor support.
“This cost around `10 crore over three years, fully covered by donors. The TTD also brought 550 native cows from Rajasthan and Gujarat, and set up a plant to produce ghee locally,” he explained.
Further, he said the ghee was tested in the laboratory before using it for preparing Srivari laddus.
“More than 10 tankers of substandard ghee were rejected under the previous government. The laboratory was modernised with assistance from the Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysore,” he noted.
Terming the Chief Minister’s remarks ‘irresponsible’, Subba Reddy also announced that the YSRC would take legal action against Naidu’s claim that Rs 520 crore was embezzled in TTD.
A lab report has revealed that samples of ghee used to make Srivari laddus contained foreign fat — palm oil, fish oil, beef tallow and lard. The report, based on samples sent on July 12, noted that certain factors could lead to false positives
