Amaravati, Feb 19 (NationPress) YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday accused that irregularities in the supply of adulterated ghee used for the preparation of Tirupati laddu occurred during the reign of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, while claiming that he attempted to shift the blame onto his political adversaries.

In a press conference, Jagan Mohan Reddy detailed what he termed an alleged conspiracy involving Heritage Foods and Indapur Dairy and Foods Private Limited, asserting that companies favored by Chandrababu Naidu gained unfair advantages through the reversal of disqualifications, acceptance of previously rejected tankers, and awarding of supply contracts at inflated prices.

He stated that shortly after Indapur Dairy and Foods Private Limited's name surfaced, Heritage Foods allegedly changed its operational classification from a manufacturing unit to a co-manufacturing entity and secured contracts to supply ghee at Rs 650 per kg, despite prior supplies being made at Rs 278 and Rs 321 per kg.

Jagan Mohan Reddy maintained that during the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) administration, previously rejected tankers were accepted, disqualifications of specific firms were revoked, and companies like Bola Baba were allegedly urged by Heritage Foods to partake in the supply process.

He further claimed that in light of rising allegations and scrutiny, Chandrababu Naidu was attempting to divert responsibility onto the YSRCP. “The entire Tirupati laddu controversy is rooted in corruption and irregularities in ghee supply that occurred during the TDP government’s tenure, which was also reflected in the CBI charge sheet,” Jagan Mohan Reddy asserted.

The former Chief Minister also alleged that despite the evidence being readily available, Chandrababu Naidu was misleading the public and attempting to politicize the issue.

Commenting on the Andhra Pradesh Budget for 2026–27, Jagan Mohan Reddy argued that the budget lacked transparency and was misleading. He claimed that the budget estimates did not match actual expenditure needs and contended that the projected growth rate did not result in improved living standards for the populace.

He alleged that per capita income figures did not align with the government’s claims of economic growth and accused the state government of failing to meet its commitments to various segments of society.

“Farmers, students, women, youth, and employees have been overlooked, and allocations for welfare schemes remain insufficient, demonstrating a reduction in the number of beneficiaries. Key sectors like health, education, agriculture, and welfare have suffered, and election promises have not been fulfilled,” he stated.

He further alleged that the state’s financial management had declined and claimed that Andhra Pradesh was falling behind in terms of revenue growth. He suggested that changes in the budget document format were designed to obscure the actual extent of the state government’s borrowing.

Jagan Mohan Reddy claimed that while the YSRCP government had executed welfare schemes promised in its manifesto during its term, the current government had diminished the number of beneficiaries and allocations for various programs. He highlighted a decrease in the number of pension beneficiaries from 66,34,372 to 60,96,108 and alleged that allocations for schemes such as Talliki Vandanam, free LPG cylinders, free RTC bus services, and the Stree Shakti program were inadequate.