After Tirupati laddu row, Telangana shrine mired in ghee controversy now

Almost three months after a row over the alleged use of animal fat in making Tirupati laddus, a controversy is now brewing over ghee procurement at Sri Seetha Ramachancra Swamy Devasthanam at Bhadrachalam in Telangana.

A top temple official is now facing disciplinary action over the issue. It all began when the temple’s Executive Officer (EO), L Rama Devi, reportedly signed a deal with Rythu Dairy, a private firm from Jangareddygudem in Andhra Pradesh, for procurement of ghee for preparing laddu prasadam at the temple, as per a report in Telangana Today. The temple was earlier procuring ghee from the Karimnagar Dairy. However, the EO acted against the rules in signing the agreement with Rythu Dairy, said officials.

State govt orders

In August, the state government had come out with orders, issuing directions to all endowment temples to procure ghee from government-owned Vijaya Dairy. However, the EO signed the agreement with the private dairy, which quoted a lesser price in the tender but did not meet the requisite conditions, official sources said.

Also read: Laddu loyalty: Tirupati prasadam demand beats adulteration politics

Endowments Minister Konda Surekha had reportedly vent her ire at the EO for ignoring the government orders. She has also purportedly directed Endowments Department Principal Secretary Shailaja Ramaiyer to transfer the EO to the revenue department, from which she was on deputation in the endowments department. The minister is also learned to have directed the official to cancel the ghee tender and issue a charge memo to the EO.

EO in another row

Meanwhile, another controversy involving the same official has come to the fore at the shrine wherein a long practised tradition of the temple has been broken.

EO Rama Devi has been accused of ignoring the temple’s tradition while inviting the VIPs to attend religious celebrations. As per the tradition, two chief priests and Sthanacharyulu, who are part of the temple’s Vaidika Committee, have to be informed and they have to accompany the EO when the chief minister and ministers are invited to attend events like Sri Rama Navami and Mukkoti Ekadasi celebrated at the temple.

However, the EO, who went to Hyderabad a couple of days ago to invite Minister Surekha to attend the Mukkoti Ekadasi celebrations on January 10, 2025 and to release the publicity poster of the event, did not comply with the tradition. She neither informed the chief priests about her visit to Hyderabad to invite the minister nor asked them to accompany her.

Tradition violated

This move hasn’t gone down well with the Vaidika Committee. Speaking to Telangana Today, Temple deputy chief priest, Amaravadhi Muralicharyulu stated that Rama Devi had committed a grave mistake by violating the tradition of informing the chief priests or Sthanacharyulu about extending an invitation to the minister.

Also read: SIT initiates probe into Tirupati laddu adulteration allegations

According to the practice, the EO accompanied by the chief priests would first call on the Endowments Commissioner and along with the official, the team would then go to the Endowments Minister and then to the Chief Minister when the invitation is extended. The tradition being followed for nearly a decade was never violated, he said.

“If the chief priests are not available, deputy chief priests and hereditary priests should be taken to Hyderabad to invite the minister. But sadly none of the priests are informed; the EO looked down on the priests like never before and all the priests are feeling disrespected,” Muralicharyulu noted.