No one involved in Sri Vari Laddu episode will be spared: Minister Satya Kumar

Tirupati: Minister for Health Y Satya Kumar expressed his deep anguish over the adulteration scandal involving the sacred Tirupati Laddu, describing the incident as heart breaking and unprecedented. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of PM Viswakarma anniversary programme here on Friday, he condemned those responsible, stating, "No one would ever commit such a crime but YSRCP leaders and anyone responsible for this will be punished”.

Satya Kumar criticised former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, accusing him of tarnishing the sanctity of the temple. He alleged that Jagan had turned the temple into a hub for political activities and worked towards promoting other religions within the temple precincts. The minister further accused Jagan of misappropriating temple funds and mishandling its assets.

While Satya Kumar acknowledged that many of Jagan's mistakes could be forgiven, he drew the line at the adulteration of the sacred laddu, calling it ‘unforgivable’. He emphasised that the act of tampering with the Lord’s offering solely for commission was a disgrace. "Adulterating the prasadam for commissions is deplorable. Each kilogram of adulterated ghee carried a commission of around Rs.350 while TTD uses about 14000 kilos of ghee every day. One can only imagine the amount pocketed from the tonnes of ghee supplied", he commented.

The minister alleged that the money from this scandal likely made its way into Jagan's coffers. He demanded strict action against those involved, even if it is YV Subba Reddy, Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, EO AV Dharma Reddy or even former CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, if found guilty. If they are proven guilty, they must be held accountable and sent to jail", he asserted.

The NDDB CALF report made it clear that the ghee samples contained Pig fat, Beef fat and Fish oil. With this, the previous government has hurted the sentiments of all Hindus across the globe. That YSRCP government did not leave anyone including sand, gravel, minerals, liquor and what not to spin money out of corruption. They diverted religious funds for other purposes. They resorted to other religious propaganda in Tirumala and did so many other mistakes. But, what they did regarding Tirumala Laddu could not be forgiven.

Tirumala is such a sacred place where so many activities are restricted. But they used it as a platform for their corruption to fill their coffers, Satyakumar alleged. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has made it clear that the government will act tough on those responsible for the whole incident will have to face punishment soon, he averred.