Kakinada, February 8: YSR Congress Party leader and former minister Kurasala Kannababu accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of repeatedly dragging the Tirupati laddu issue into public discourse to divert attention from his government’s alleged failures.
Speaking to the media in Kakinada, Kannababu stated that despite being in power for 20 months, the government has failed to fulfill major promises. He claimed that whenever faced with criticism, the government resorts to raising the laddu controversy.
Kannababu, who is the regional coordinator for YSRCP in North Andhra, alleged that Naidu is tarnishing the sanctity of Tirumala for political gain, hurting Hindu sentiments, and attempting to politically target Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy through what he termed false propaganda.
He noted that despite the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed under the Supreme Court finding no evidence of animal fat adulteration, the ruling coalition continues to spread misinformation. He added that the samples of ghee mentioned in the controversy were taken after the coalition came to power, and the approval for Bhole Baba Dairy was originally granted during Naidu’s tenure.
Kannababu pointed out that the SIT report clearly states that ghee tankers, which were rejected by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), re-entered the system through clandestine routes during the coalition government, yet the blame is being placed on YSRCP.
He criticized coalition leaders for questioning how ghee could be obtained at such a low price, reminding them that during Naidu’s previous term, ghee was available at even lower rates. He condemned claims of adulterated laddus being sent to Ayodhya as irresponsible, asserting that such shipments were made by individual board members and had no connection to TTD.
Kannababu emphasized that former TTD chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy himself requested a CBI investigation in the Supreme Court, as he had nothing to hide. He accused the ruling party of starting a smear campaign before the investigation was completed. He questioned whether dragging a deity worshipped by millions into a political battle is not an affront to faith.
He further accused Naidu of attacking Hinduism, stating that after being exposed by the SIT investigation, the Chief Minister is now making new claims about the alleged use of “toilet cleaning chemicals” in laddu preparation to keep the controversy alive.
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