Jagan lambasts TDP for blatant lies about TTD ghee

Former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday sharply criticised the Andhra Pradesh Government, accusing it of fabricating allegations about adulterated ghee in Tirumala laddu preparation and dragging a sacred institution into political controversy. He said the TDP government was resorting to deliberate misinformation to target political opponents and create distrust among devotees.

Jagan asserted that the claim that ghee containing animal fat had been used by TTD had no factual basis and was contrary to the institution’s established procedures. Every tanker entering TTD premises is required to carry NABL certification and is subjected to laboratory testing within TTD before being allowed into the preparation process. He pointed out that such a system made the government’s allegations implausible. Both under YSRCP rule and earlier under TDP rule, several ghee tankers had been rejected 18 during the former’s tenure and 15 during the latter's, indicating that the quality control mechanism was functioning consistently over the years. He questioned how SIT reports could suggest that tankers rejected in September 2024 were somehow used a month later without any procedural lapses being documented or acted upon by the current TTD administration.

A central part of Jagan’s rebuttal was the clarification regarding Bole Baba Dairy , previously known as Harsh Fresh Dairy. He emphasised that this dairy company was first empanelled and technically qualified by the TDP government itself in 2018 to supply milk and related products to TTD. The present attempt to attribute wrongdoing to suppliers associated with the previous government, he said, was politically motivated and ignored the fact that the same suppliers had been approved by TDP in the past.

Jagan also criticised the government for attempting to portray itself as having cleaned up TTD’s finances while ignoring the fact that it was his administration that had withdrawn ₹1,300 crore of TTD funds from YES Bank before the bank’s collapse. He said this single decision protected one of the most revered institutions in the country from a major financial disaster, whereas the earlier placement of funds in a private bank in violation of norms had occurred during TDP rule.

Shifting to other governance matters, Jagan questioned the renewed push for a second round of land acquisition for Amaravati when vast tracts of land already acquired during the earlier phase remained undeveloped. He said there was little justification for procuring additional land when basic infrastructure had not been created on the land already obtained and suggested that the project was once again being positioned as a means to benefit select interest groups rather than fulfil public needs.

Jagan accused the government of mishandling farmer welfare, cyclone preparedness and disaster relief, noting that despite advance warnings of Cyclone Dithwa, the response was inadequate and compensation had not reached affected farmers. Input subsidy arrears, he said, had risen to ₹1,700 crore, crop insurance coverage had been sharply reduced, and farmers were still struggling without assured minimum prices for their produce.

He criticised the government’s claims about fulfilling “Super Six” promises, arguing that unemployment allowances, pensions at 50 years, Aadabidda Nidhi and consistent free bus travel benefits had not materialised. He pointed to rising fee reimbursement arrears, reported deterioration in government schools and hostel facilities and incidents such as the deaths of 29 children due to contaminated hostel food to highlight systemic neglect. In the health sector, he said Aarogyasri had accumulated arrears of ₹5,400 crore, affecting hospital operations and patient care.

Jagan also alleged widespread misuse of law enforcement mechanisms, stating that the government was selectively arresting YSRCP leaders while overlooking wrongdoing by those linked to the ruling coalition. He cited cases involving spurious liquor networks and politically driven arrests in Palnadu and Visakhapatnam as evidence of partisan policing.

Concluding his remarks, Jagan said that institutions across the state were being weakened under the influence of the ruling leadership and that the government was using SIT and administrative machinery to settle political scores. He also alleged that attempts were being made to intimidate officials handling cases involving Chandrababu Naidu, who remains out on bail, while sections of media close to the ruling party were deliberately ignoring these developments.