Amaravati/New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI) Facing the heat from the ruling TDP on the Tirupati Laddu adulteration row, YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy on Thursday said the CFTRI report did not mention animal fat adulteration in the ghee
used to make the consecrated sweet back in 2022 but purportedly observed that ghee was being adulterated.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Chairman, accompanied by other YSRCP MPs, said they saw that Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) report now, but rejected the TDP-led NDA government's allegation that he had suppressed it.
"If it was suppressed then why would I even write to CFTRI to test the samples in the first place," Reddy asked.
"CFTRI report did not mention the presence of animal fat but purportedly gave a report noting that adulteration was happening which we are seeing now," he said, adding that he had acted on an anonymous complaint and endorsed it to CFTRI back then.
He further said officials should answer what action they took over the CFTRI report.
Further, he observed that tender norms were relaxed during the erstwhile TDP government between 2014 and 2019, hinting that this came to light when the new YSRCP government which had come to power in 2019 had contemplated on what to do as ghee supplies were not sufficient.
For this purpose, he said an expert committee was appointed in 2017.
Subba Reddy alluded to officials informing that for receiving full supplies, wider scope and competitive bidding the tender conditions were relaxed. PTI STH GDK SA
