Amid a row over animal fat being used in the making of Tirupati laddoo, Indian dairy brand Amul issued a clarification, stating that it never supplied ghee (clarified butter) to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD).
The Indian diary brand's clarification came after social media posts claimed Amul had supplied ghee to the temple.
"This is in reference to some social media posts mentioning that Amul Ghee was being supplied to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD). We wish to inform that we have never supplied Amul Ghee to TTD," Amul's statement read.
"We also wish to clarify Amul Ghee is made from milk at our state-of-the-art production facilities, which are ISO certified. Amul Ghee is made from high-quality pure milk fat. The milk received at our dairies passes through stringent quality checks, including adulteration detection as specified by FSSAI," the statement added.
A major controversy broke out after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that animal fat and other sub-standard ingredients were used in the making of Tirupati laddoo during the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government.
The Central government also reacted to the controversy, with Union Health Minister JP Nadda seeking a report on the matter from the Andhra Pradesh government and promising suitable action after examining it. Food Minister Pralhad Joshi called for an investigation into the allegations.
Meanwhile, Jagan Mohan Reddy rejected the allegations, saying that the adulteration issue was taken up to divert public attention from the Chandra Babu Naidu government's 100 days of rule.
Naidu is such a person who will use God also for political gains, Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
"This is diversion politics. On the one hand, people are expressing their anger at Chandrababu Naidu's 100 days' rule. They are demanding what happened to their "Super six" (poll promises). Under these circumstances, in order to divert the public attention, this concocted story," he said.
"Is it fair to play with the sentiments of crores of devotees across the world," Reddy asked Naidu.
All samples, tests and results mentioned in lab test reports as evidence occurred under the NDA government, Reddy asserted.
Further, Reddy said he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud over Naidu's alleged undermining conduct towards the Tirumala deity.
