Ruckus in Andhra Council over irregularities in Tirumala ghee contracts

Pandemonium prevailed in Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council on Friday as the opposition YSR Congress Party insisted on their demand for debate on irregularities in supply of ghee for Tirumala laddu, allegedly involving Heritage Foods, a family firm of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Alleging that the nexus between Heritage Foods and Indapur Dairy has been exposed after evidence surfaced regarding inflated contracts and reversal of disqualifications, the YSRCP sought to move adjournment motion for a debate on the issue.

As Council Chairman Koyye Moshenu Raju rejected the notices given by YSRCP members for adjournment motion, they tried to stall the proceedings by raising slogans.

The opposition legislators were carrying pictures of Sri Venkateswara Swamy in their hands.

Minister for Finance and Legislative Affairs Payyavula Keshav raised objection to the YSRCP members holding pictures of Sri Venkateswara Swamy in hands while wearing shoes. He alleged that YSRCP members have no faith in the God and that they resorted to sacrilegious act.

There was ruckus in the House as members of ruling coalition condemned the action by the YSRCP while the opposition members accused them of diverting the issue from the alleged irregularities in ghee tenders.

Leader of Opposition Botsa Satyanarayana insisted that a debate be taken up on the inflated contracts.

He reiterated that the ghee that was earlier procured at about Rs 320 per kg is now being supplied at around Rs 700 per kg through Indapur Dairy, which he said has links with Chandrababu Naidu's own company Heritage, resulting in a doubling of price and looting of public money.

YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had also claimed on Thursday that all the irregularities in supply of adulterated ghee for Tirupati laddu took place during Chandrababu Naidu's term but he has been trying to shift the blame on political opponents.

Addressing a press conference, he explained the alleged nexus of Heritage and Indapur and how Chandrababu's favoured companies allegedly got undue favours by reversion of disqualification, accepting rejected tankers and awarding contracts at inflated rates.

He claimed soon after the Indapur name came into light, Heritage has changed its status from manufacturing unit to co-manufacturing unit and has awarded the contract to supply ghee for Rs 650 per kg while the same company had supplied ghee at Rs 278 and Rs 321.

He said it was during TDP’s term that rejected tankers were accepted, disqualification was revoked on favoured companies and all the companies including Bola Baba were encouraged by Heritage.

When all the fingers of suspicion are pointing towards Chandrababu, he has been blaming YSRCP shamelessly. Irregularities in ghee supply happened during the TDP term, which was endorsed in the CBI chargesheet, he said.

However, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) chairman BR Naidu clarified that Heritage Food never supplied ghee to TTD. He alleged that YSRCP, which was desperate to divert people’s attention from its involvement in the supply of adulterated ghee to TTD during its regime, was trying to mislead the people by linking Indapur Dairy to Heritage Foods.