Andhra, Karnataka in spat over ghee for Tirupati laddus

It looked like the pan was being prepared for a fresh Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party showdown in Karnataka.

But the Tirupati laddu issue instead slipped into boiling ghee with Tirumala authorities in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

A day after Tirumala Temple Devasthanams officials said that Tirupati laddus had used Nandini ghee only for a year in the past two decades, Karnataka Milk Federation said they had never made any claim about how long they have been supplying ghee to the famous temple.

The recipe for a political battle over the delicious Tirupati temple offering was set in motion with developments on Sunday. This was when a reference was made to Karnataka Milk Federation not supplying Nandini brand ghee to the renowned Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh.

The ruling Congress in Karnataka immediately felt the splatter as opposition BJP turned on the heat over the issue.

BJP leader Nalin Kumar Kateel accused the Karnataka Congress government of stopping the supply of ghee, due to its "policy of indifference towards temples, and Hindu beliefs and devotion".

To keep the flames under check, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the supply of Nandini ghee to make Tirupati laddus was suspended one-and-half years ago, during the BJP government's tenure.

The chief minister's statement was in line with KMF chairman Bheema Naik's observation on Sunday.

"About one year ago they (TTD) called for a tender and asked us to participate in the tender. We cannot give ghee at the competitive rate, because in the e-procurement tender, whoever quotes the lowest rate will get it," Naik said, adding that the current supplier is providing ghee to TTD at a very low rate as compared to KMF.

Naik also said, "KMF ghee was used for Tirupati Laddu. I'm of the belief that no other ghee can stand up to the quality of Nandini ghee; our customers have given us this 100 per cent certification."

But here's when the issue spilled over and came to a boil with TTD.

AV Dharma Reddy, Executive Officer of TTD, official custodian of Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati told PTI that KMF has supplied ghee only once in the past 20 years.

"In the last 20 years they supplied only once. Do you think for the past 19 years our laddus were bad and only one year it was good, that too with his (Nandini's) 20 percent of ghee?" asked Reddy.

"The KMF met just 20 percent of TTD's requirement once, that too taking a full year while it was supposed to do it in just six months," Reddy added

According to Reddy, TTD requires 15,000 kg or 15 tonnes of ghee per day, 450 tonnes a month and 5,400 tonnes a year. When KMF could not meet just 20 percent of the requirement on time "then how can Naik think of meeting our whole requirement," he wondered.

In response to TTD's comments over the single year contract for Nandini ghee, a top KMF official, who refused to come on record, said "KMF has never made any claims over how long we have been supplying ghee to TTD."

KMF managing director and CEO MK Jagdish told PTI, "Last we supplied 345 metric tonnes (ghee), that is in the year 2021-22...we are trying to establish a link (with TTD) once again. We tell them that our quality of ghee is very superior. And we wish to offer them ghee. But price is the only constraint. That we will try to negotiate with them."

Nandhini brand of products and KMF had faced its share of political claims and counterclaims in Karnataka both before and after the state assembly elections held in May.

The opposition BJP recently accused ruling Congress of politicising the Nandini issue during the assembly elections and "milked it to malign (Gujarat-based) Amul".

Senior BJP leader CT Ravi had said that after coming to power, the Congress government increased the price of milk "thereby making it impossible for Nandini to supply its ghee to TTD board at the earlier price."

The Karnataka cabinet had on July 27 cleared the proposal by KMF to hike selling prices of its Nandini milk by Rs three a litre. The new prices came into effect from August 1.