Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has called for the formation of a ‘Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board’ amid growing controversy over the ingredients used in Tirupati laddoos.

“We are all deeply disturbed with the findings of animal fat (fish oil, pork fat and beef fat) mixed in Tirupathi Balaji prasad. Many questions to be answered by the TTD board constituted by YCP Govt then,” the Janasena Party chief said in a post on X.

He reiterated the Andhra government’s commitment to taking stringent action.

“The time has come to constitute a ‘Sanatana Dharma Rakshana Board’ at a National level to look into all the issues related to temples in entire Bharath,” the minister added.

He also stressed the importance of engaging policymakers, religious leaders, the judiciary, citizens, and the media in this discussion.

The uproar began after Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government had substituted animal fat for ghee in the preparation of laddoo prasadam at Tirumala.

State minister and Telugu Desam Party national general secretary Nara Lokesh Naidu said that laboratory tests on the ghee used for the laddoos confirmed the presence of fish oil and beef tallow.

Senior YSRCP leader YV Subba Reddy, who chaired the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams in the previous government, dismissed the TDP’s allegations as “malicious”.

However, the YSRCP went silent after the Telugu Desam Party released the purported test results on social media.

A report by NDDB CALF, a private laboratory focused on testing animal feed and milk and milk products, has revealed that the samples of the ghee used in making Tirupati laddoos contained foreign fat, including palm oil, fish oil, beef tallow and lard (obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig).

Pawan Kalyan also raised concerns about “desecration of temples, its land issues” and related dharmic practices.

“I think we all should come together to put an end to desecration of ‘Sanatana Dharma’ in any form,” he added.