Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Sunday began his 11-day ‘Praschit Deeksha’ (penance) at a temple in Guntur district for alleged adulteration of animal fat in Tirupati laddu.

The laddu row began with Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu slamming the previous YSRCP regime for the alleged use of substandard ingredients and animal fats in the Tirupati laddu.

A day after the TTD initiated legal action against the firm, the employee refuted the allegation that fish oil was used to prepare ghee.

Making the announcement on X (formally twitter), the Andhra Pradesh deputy CM said that the inability to detect the alleged adulteration of Tirumala Laddu Prasadam is a “stain on the Hindu race.”

AR Dairy, a Tamil Nadu-based supplier of ghee to the renowned Tirumala Tirupati temple, has strongly denied allegations of animal fat

A controversy has emerged over the alleged use of substandard ingredients and animal fat in Tirupati laddu preparation. The Telugu Desam Party claims a Gujarat lab confirmed the presence of beef tallow,

The Congress said if claims of ‘desecration’ of the Tirupati laddu are right, a full-fledged enquiry must identify the guilty

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the temple, asserted there was presence of 'Lard' (pig fat) and other impurities in the ghee, citing a lab report.

In the plea, the petitioner said the alleged presence of animal fat in the laddu is symptomatic of larger systemic issues in temple administration and has called for the sanctity of Hindu religious practices to be protected.