Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan strongly reacted to the adulterated ghee scam that allegedly occurred at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) during the YSRCP government’s tenure (2019-2024). He expressed deep emotion on X, stating that the former TTD Board and officials had broken the sacred trust of devotees, calling it a “betrayal of our devotion.” He lamented that every single devotee had been cheated, accusing the former rulers not just of violating rules, but of completely destroying the sacred faith the public had placed in them.
Pawan Kalyan recalled that an estimated 10.97 crore devotees visited the Tirumala temple during that five-year period (2019-24). This included common people, as well as the nation’s highest constitutional functionaries, such as the President, Prime Minister, and Chief Justice. He asserted that while an average of 60,000 devotees visited the holy shrine daily with immense devotion, the actions of the former TTD Board and its officials had “broken their hearts.”
Shocking details of the scam have emerged from the investigation conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It is estimated that out of 48.76 crore laddus prepared during the five years, 20.1 crore laddus used adulterated ghee. The SIT identified that approximately 68 lakh kilograms of adulterated ghee, confirmed by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) reports to contain an animal fat mixture, were supplied. The current TDP-led government is taking the scam seriously and continues the investigation.
