YSRCP seeks Central probe into TTD ghee price hike

The YSR Congress Party on Saturday demanded a Central agency probe into the sharp rise in the price of ghee being procured by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), countering allegations that the ghee used in Tirupati laddus during 2019–24 was adulterated.

YSRCP state coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy questioned why TTD was paying steeply higher rates for ghee when the same product was available in the market at a much lower price.

Addressing the media at the party’s central office on Saturday, Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy alleged that nearly ₹200 crore had been siphoned off through manipulated tenders by inflating prices and awarding contracts to firms allegedly close to leaders of the ruling parties.

He accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of making “baseless” claims about adulterated ghee as part of a larger political strategy.

“The allegation was made to suit his political and economic interests,” Mr. Ramakrishna Reddy said, adding that the Chief Minister had lost credibility and was unable to counter the stand taken by YSRCP president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The YSRCP leader said that since Mr. Naidu raised the issue in September 2024, the price of ghee procured by TTD had risen sharply from ₹475 to ₹716 per kg.

He alleged that the ruling party was repeatedly targeting the previous YSRCP government to divert public attention, despite a Supreme Court-monitored CBI-SIT reportedly finding no evidence of animal fat in the ghee.

Mr Ramakrishna Reddy also criticised the State government’s decision to appoint a one-man commission to probe the issue, calling it a diversionary move aimed at implicating political opponents.

He further claimed that only three companies — Nandini, Sangam, and Indapur — were being awarded ghee supply orders, either through single bids or shared contracts.