YSRCP Demands Apology from Naidu and Pawan Kalyan After CBI Clears Tirupati Laddu Ghee of Animal Fat

Amaravati, Jan 2026 : The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Thursday demanded a public apology from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan after a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chargesheet confirmed that no animal fat was used in the ghee prepared for the sacred Tirupati laddus.

Reacting sharply to the chargesheet that entered the public domain on Wednesday, the principal Opposition party said the findings had vindicated its long-standing stand and exposed what it described as a deliberate attempt to mislead devotees and politicise a deeply sensitive religious issue. “Truth prevails,” the YSRCP said in a social media post, asserting that the CBI report had conclusively disproved allegations made against the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) during the party’s tenure in government.

“The truth is out. The CBI chargesheet confirms that no animal fat was used in TTD laddus. Those who misled devotees with false narratives must take responsibility,” the party said, while questioning when Chief Minister Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan would apologise to devotees whose sentiments, it claimed, had been hurt.

YSRCP official spokesperson Karumuri Venkata Reddy termed the episode one of the biggest conspiracies in the political history of Andhra Pradesh. He said the findings of reputed national institutions had fully demolished the claims made by the ruling leadership. According to him, the ICAR–National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Haryana and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Gujarat had scientifically tested the ghee samples used in the preparation of the Tirumala Sri Vari Laddu Prasadam and confirmed that no animal fat of any kind was present.

“Chandrababu Naidu, who spread false propaganda alleging that animal fat was mixed in the ghee, must now publicly apologise to devotees. These allegations deeply hurt religious sentiments and tarnished the sanctity of the prasadam,” Reddy said.

YSRCP leaders reiterated that both Naidu and Pawan Kalyan had repeatedly claimed that ghee procured by the TTD during the YSRCP regime was adulterated with animal fat, an assertion now proven false by the CBI investigation. They accused the ruling alliance of exploiting faith for political gains and creating unnecessary fear and anger among devotees.

The CBI, which headed a Special Investigation Team constituted on the directions of the Supreme Court in October 2024, filed its final chargesheet in the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Court in Nellore on January 23. The investigation relied heavily on scientific analysis conducted by the ICAR-NDRI, Karnal.

According to the chargesheet, four sealed ghee samples drawn by the TTD from tankers supplied by AR Dairy Food Private Limited on July 6 and July 12, 2024, were sent for testing. The NDRI report dated May 16, 2025, stated that all samples were analysed using PCR-based methods and that no lard or animal fat was detected in any of them.

However, the chargesheet also noted that while animal fat was absent, the ghee had been adulterated with a mixture of vegetable oils and laboratory-produced esters intended to chemically mimic dairy parameters. YSRCP leaders said this finding further underscored the irresponsibility of branding the issue as one involving animal fat, and renewed their demand for an unconditional apology from the state’s top leadership.