Former advocate general of Andhra Pradesh and newly-appointed YSR Congress party general secretary Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy has added fuel to the already raging fire in connection with the controversy over alleged adulteration of ghee used in the preparation of Tirumala laddu.
Referring to the reports that the cow ghee used in the preparation of Tirumala laddu was adulterated with lard (pig fat), Ponnavolu said it was a ridiculous allegation made by the Telugu Desam Party leaders without any basis.
“The cow ghee supplied to Tirumala temple costs only Rs 350 per kg, whereas pig fat costs around Rs 1400 per kg in the open market. How can this costly pig fat is mixed with cow ghee with an intention to supply it to Tirumala temple at a cheaper rate?” he asked.
Ponnavolu also gave a strange analogy to substantiate his claim.
“It is like adulterating copper with gold. Normally, copper is added to the pure gold for adulteration, but not gold is added to copper. The pig fat is like gold, whereas cow ghee supplied to Tirumala is like copper,” he said.
Ponnavolu went on to claim that the adulterated ghee was not used in the preparation of laddu prasadam. The adulterated ghee was rejected before it was supplied to Tirumala, he asserted.