Explainer: How temple laddus sparked a political slugfest | India News

The laddus given as ‘prasad’ at the renowned Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh is known across the country for their specific taste. But they don’t taste the same anymore – and this has triggered a new political row.

The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) is not supplying ‘Nandini‘ brand ghee anymore to make the famous laddus in the temple, KMF Chairman Bheema Naik has said.
Why

Naik said, KMF, which sells its products under the brand name Nandini and is known for its quality, cannot compromise on the price, and hence did not participate in the tender process as required by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, the trust that manages the temple.
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 Tuesday.
BJP vs Congress
While senior BJP leader CT Ravi hit out at the Congress government in the state on the issue, calling the price increase politically motivated, Karnataka BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel accused the Siddaramaiah government of “indifference towards temples and Hindu devotion”.
Senior Congress leader and Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday hit back saying the supply of ‘Nandini’ brand ghee to Tirupati Venkateswara temple was suspended one-and- a-half years ago, during the BJP government’s tenure in Karnataka.
A brief history
The temple has reportedly used ‘Nandini’ ghee for decades but such supply-disruptions have happened at least once in the last 10 years. It happened in 2015 after a tender failed.