The Tirupati Laddu controversy has a highly combustible combination: politics and faith. Any issue at this intersection has the potential to quickly spin out of control and trigger social upheaval. Hence, there is an urgent need to put a lid on the raging row over the suspected adulteration of ghee that goes into making the sacred Laddu prasadam at India’s richest temple.
The only sensible thing that the Andhra Pradesh government needs to do now is to initiate stringent action against the supplier responsible for sending consignments contaminated with animal fat and take all possible measures to ensure that the highest quality standards are maintained in future. It is essentially an issue of quality control and should not be allowed to be politicised.
The restoration of the confidence of devotees, who are now deeply hurt by the reports of adulteration of ghee with beef tallow, fish oil, and lard, should be of utmost priority. The political war of words over the issue must end. Already, tempers are running very high with both the ruling Telugu Desam Party and the opposition YSR Congress accusing each other of trying to garner political mileage out of an issue that has a deep impact on millions of Hindus.
Insulate from politics
The unseemly controversy has once again brought into focus the broader problem of politicisation of religious institutions in the country. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the hill shrine, is no exception to this practice. Though described as an autonomous body on paper, the temple board is entirely controlled by the government of the day. In fact, the TTD chairman, board members and executive officers are among the sought-after posts, given the enormous clout they get to wield.
If there is any position of power in Andhra Pradesh that is more sought after than a cabinet berth, it is the TTD chairman’s post. Traditionally, the ruling party gets to fill the posts with the yes men. With an annual budget of over Rs 5,000 crore, the Tirumala board is a high-profile and influential body.
No wonder that the present controversy, triggered by the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s allegation of adulteration of Laddu prasadam during the previous regime, has hit the opposition very hard as its key leaders were at the helm of the temple when the adulteration took place.
One hopes that the cathartic moment has finally arrived to overhaul the functioning of religious institutions. The foremost task is to delink temples from political interference. An unbridled control over religious institutions turn them into political battlegrounds, especially in a state where religion holds sway over the electorate. At a broader level, the demand to unshackle the Hindu temples from government control appears justified.
Fix accountability
For millions of Hindus, the laddus are not just a sweet delicacy but a manifestation of their abiding devotion to Lord Venkateswara. Any suggestion that the sacred prasadam has been tainted with animal products is bound to evoke strong emotional reactions among devotees.
The previous YSRCP government, headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, faced a series of allegations of mismanagement in the TTD administration. The temple, which attracts over 80,000 pilgrims daily, is one of the world’s wealthiest religious sites, and any disruption to its sanctity is bound to have severe political as well as spiritual ramifications. The temple’s handling had been under scrutiny ever since Jagan’s government allegedly allowed non-Hindus to occupy key positions, violating Agama Shastra guidelines that govern temple rituals. The appointment of Jagan’s uncle, Y V Subba Reddy, as TTD Chairman had triggered a big controversy. The opposition, led by Naidu, seized upon this to question the YSRCP’s commitment to preserving Hindu traditions.
After coming to power in June, Chandrababu Naidu swiftly reconstituted the TTD Board and appointed Shyamala Rao as the new Executive Officer. Soon after, lab tests were conducted on samples of ghee of one of the five private suppliers. The test reports from the National Dairy Development Board's Gujarat laboratory revealed the presence of animal fats. The supplier has since been blacklisted and the contract terminated.
For years, the laddus were prepared using ghee from Karnataka’s Nandini Milk Dairy, known for its high-quality products. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when temple revenues fell sharply, the TTD opted for a cheaper Tamil Nadu-based supplier, which allegedly led to a noticeable drop in the quality of the laddus. Now, the temple board has reinstated Nandini Dairy as the principal supplier of ghee.
As the demand for a wider investigation grows louder, the controversy has not only shaken the faith of millions of devotees but also raised questions over the management of religious institutions in the country.
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