Jagan alleges irregularities in Tirupati laddu ghee supply during Chandrababu Naidu's tenure
Amaravati, Feb 19 : YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday alleged that irregularities in the supply of adulterated ghee used for Tirupati laddu preparation took place during the tenure of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, and accused him of attempting to shift the blame onto political opponents.
Addressing a press conference, Jagan Mohan Reddy outlined what he described as an alleged nexus involving Heritage Foods and Indapur Dairy and Foods Private Limited, claiming that companies favoured by Chandrababu Naidu received undue benefits through reversal of disqualification, acceptance of previously rejected tankers, and awarding of supply contracts at inflated rates.
He claimed that soon after the name of Indapur Dairy and Foods Private Limited came into focus, Heritage Foods allegedly altered its operational status from a manufacturing unit to a co-manufacturing entity and awarded contracts to supply ghee at Rs 650 per kg, despite the same company having previously supplied ghee at rates of Rs 278 and Rs 321 per kg.
Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that during the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government’s tenure, previously rejected tankers were accepted, disqualifications of certain companies were revoked, and companies including Bola Baba were allegedly encouraged by Heritage Foods to participate in the supply process.
He further alleged that despite mounting allegations and scrutiny, Chandrababu Naidu was attempting to shift responsibility onto the YSRCP. “The entire Tirupati laddu issue is rooted in corruption and irregularities in ghee supply that occurred during the TDP government’s tenure, which was also reflected in the CBI charge sheet,” Jagan Mohan Reddy claimed.
The former Chief Minister also alleged that despite evidence being available in the public domain, Chandrababu Naidu was attempting to mislead the public and politicise the issue.
Commenting on the Andhra Pradesh Budget for 2026–27, Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that the budget lacked transparency and described it as misleading. He claimed that budget estimates did not correspond with actual expenditure requirements and alleged that the projected growth rate did not translate into improved living standards for the people.
He alleged that per capita income figures did not align with the government’s claims of economic growth and accused the state government of failing to deliver on its promises to various sections of society.
“Farmers, students, women, youth, and employees have been neglected, and allocations for welfare schemes remain inadequate, indicating a reduction in the number of beneficiaries. Key sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and welfare have been adversely affected, and election promises have not been implemented,” he said.
He further alleged that the state’s financial management had deteriorated and claimed that Andhra Pradesh was lagging behind in terms of revenue growth. He also alleged that changes in the format of the budget documents were intended to obscure the actual extent of borrowing by the state government.
Jagan Mohan Reddy claimed that while the YSRCP government had implemented welfare schemes promised in its manifesto during its tenure, the present government had reduced the number of beneficiaries and allocations for various schemes. He cited a reduction in the number of pension beneficiaries from 66,34,372 to 60,96,108 and alleged that allocations for schemes such as Talliki Vandanam, free LPG cylinders, free RTC bus services, and the Stree Shakti programme were inadequate.