Jagan Mohan Reddy's Party Says Silk Shawls Scam 'Longstanding' Issue, Blames TDP

In Andhra Pradesh, the faith has once again been shaken by revelations of a major fraud involving the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam's (TTD) shawls and dupatta supplies.

For years, TTD had been procuring items labelled as "pure silk," only to discover they were actually made of synthetic material.

"A major scam involving silk dupattas. A shawl costing around Rs 350 was being billed at over Rs 1300, leading to a total supply exceeding Rs 50 crore. TTD has requested an ACB probe into this matter,'' said Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam's (TTD) chairperson BR Naidu.

TTD vigilance probe revealed that the so-called mulberry silk shawls and dupattas supplied to the temple were actually polyester.

The fraud, which spanned from around 2015 to 2025, is estimated to have resulted in losses exceeding Rs 54 crore.

Central Silk Board laboratories conducted tests and confirmed that the items lacked genuine silk certification.

The case is now expected to be investigated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

This decade-long fraud has led to intense exchanges between the ruling TDP-led NDA and the YSRCP.

Former Chief Minister YS Jagan's party, YSRCP, has accused the scam of not being a recent occurrence but rather a longstanding issue during the TDP's tenure. YSRCP leaders argue that inadequate monitoring and unchecked procurement practices from the past years allowed this scam to remain undetected.

The party also accuses the current NDA government of exploiting the issue for political gain and using it as a weapon against its opponents.

YSRCP state spokesperson and former TTD Chairman Bhoomna Karunakar Reddy strongly criticised the coalition government, accusing it of repeatedly harming Hindu sentiments and using Tirumala as a political platform to target YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and the YSRCP.

Karunakar Reddy pointed out that the government had not released inquiry reports or taken appropriate action in response to the scam.

He further accused the current TTD Chairman, BR Naidu, of failing in his duties and turning the shrine into a political stage.

This 'dupatta scam' is the latest in a series of procurement and controversies that have recently surrounded the TTD, which manages the hill shrine of lord Venkateswara atop Tirumala hills in Tirupati. Earlier controversies include the alleged adulteration of ghee used in the sacred laddu prasadam and the Parakamani (donation money) theft case, which hit the headlines and triggered a blame game between YS Jaganmohan Reddy's party and TDP.