The ruling Telegu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh ignited a political slugfest after claiming the presence of “beef tallow”, “lard” (relating to pig fat), and fish oil in the ghee used for laddus (sweets) at Tirupati temple.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged that there was a usage of “animal fat” instead of ghee in the laddus offered at Tirupati shrine during the previous YSRCP government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The sacred practice of offering laddu to Lord Venkateswara at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh has been followed since the 1700s.
The YSRCP on Friday moved to the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking a court-monitored investigation into the claims made by the ruling TDP as it believes that the ‘desecration of laddu prasadam’ charge is ‘baseless and politically motivated.’
The ruling TDP, during a press briefing, claimed that a Gujarat-based livestock laboratory has confirmed adulteration in ghee samples provided by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the famous Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh.
TDP spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy showed a purported lab report and claimed the presence of ‘beef tallow, lard’ and fish oil in the ghee samples. The sample receipt date was July 9, 2024, and the lab report was dated July 16.
It’s not the first time when a controversy has erupted around a food item in India as history has much to reveal.
Times When Food Became Centre of Controversy
Several right-wing groups demanded a ban on halal products in Karnataka during 2022-23. The controversy around halal-certified food products still plays out with the rise of time-to-time demands from right-wing outfits seeking its ban.
In 2023, right-wing groups, including the Hindu Janajagruthi Samiti, the Srirama Sene, and the Bajrang Dal, objected to halal meat ahead of the Ugadi festival in Karnataka and rather promoted ‘jhatka’ meat shops.
Such was the commotion that then Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had to assure the protestors that the government would look into their concerns. He claimed that serious objections have been raised over ‘halal-cut’ meat and the government will analyse the issue before reaching any conclusion.
The Hindu outfits also urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to include the “Halal Certificate Prohibition Act” in its election manifesto for the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls where the Congress secured a thumping victory.
The term ‘halal’ signifies the slaughter and preparation of meat following Islamic practices. Following the rituals, god’s name is invoked before any slaughter.
The Hindu outfit leaders claimed that for Hosathodaku celebrations, non-veg food cooked in households is offered to the almighty, but Muslim traders sell meat only after offering it to their god. So, they claimed it to be not suitable for their celebrations.
Bengal Vs Odisha: Bitter Battle For ‘Rasgulla’
The bitter battle between the two states- West Bengal and Odisha, was triggered around 2017 when geographical indications (GI) status was accorded to ‘Banglar Rosogolla’. In February 2018, Odisha filed a rectification petition demanding the cancellation of Bengal’s GI registration of the sweet.
In the same year, however, the Geographical Indications Registry dismissed the rectification petition on account of delays by Odisha to present evidence in support of its petition within the stipulated timelines.
The tussle between both states over the origin of the delectable “Rosogolla” came to an end in 2019 when the Odisha Small Industries Corporation Limited and Utkala Mistanna Byabasayee Samiti (Utkala Sweetmakers Business Body) also obtained the GI tag for Odisha’s variant of the sweet called “Odisha Rasagola”.
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