Supply Of Ghee To Tirupati Temple Stopped During BJP Tenure: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the supply of Karnataka Milk Federation's (KMF) 'Nandini' brand ghee to make the famous laddus given as 'prasad' at the renowned Tirupati Venkateswara temple in Andhra Pradesh, was suspended one-and- half years ago, during the BJP government's tenure.

He hit back at state BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel, who had accused the Congress government of stopping the supply of ghee, due to its ''policy of indifference towards temples, and Hindu beliefs and devotion''. ''The supply of Nandini ghee to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh has not been stopped today or yesterday. The supply of ghee to Tirupati was suspended one-and-a-half years ago, during the @BJP4Karnataka government's tenure,'' Siddaramaiah tweeted.

''Honorable Member of Parliament @nalinkateel, tell me now, was the previous BJP government against Hindu religious beliefs and devotion? Or was only the then Chief Minister @BSBommai (Basavaraj Bommai) anti-Hindu?'' he asked.

''The life of the dairy farmers is important to us along with the religious faith of the people. Therefore, if the Tirupati temple agrees to give the price we ask for, in the interest of the State's farmers, we have no problem in supplying ghee,'' he added.

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 (TTD), the trust that manages the temple, KMF Chairman Bheema Naik had said on Sunday.

Naik, a former Congress MLA too on Monday clarified that the supply of ghee to TTD has been stopped for more than a year now and is not a ''recent occurrence''.

State BJP chief Kateel in a tweet had accused the present Congress government of stopping supply of ghee from KMF for Tirupati Laddu.

''Nandini ghee supply to Tirupati Laddu has been stopped due to @INCKarnataka policy of indifference towards temple, and Hindu beliefs and devotion. 50 years of legacy with Tirupati is watered down and this proves @siddaramaiah's policy of indifference towards Hindus,'' Kateel had said.