Telugu Desam Party MLA from Kovvur assembly constituency in Nellore district and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams trust board member Vemireddy Prashanti Reddy has claimed that she had no role in the procurement of ghee by the TTD during the regime of YSR Congress party.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the alleged supply of adulterated ghee used in the preparation of Tirumala laddu prasadam questioned Prashanti Reddy in Nellore as part of its ongoing investigation.
She had served as a member of the TTD procurement committee for nearly four months beginning September 2019.
During the interrogation, officials reportedly sought details on the procedure for calling tenders for ghee procurement and the rules governing such purchases.
She distanced herself from decisions taken during the phase when the ghee procurement was done. She told the SIT that she was not a member of the procurement committee when tender conditions were simplified,
Prashanti Reddy said she had no role whatsoever to play in procuring the ghee from the dubious suppliers, who are now under the police scanner.
The SIT also questioned her regarding deposits made into the bank account of Chinna Appanna, former personal assistant of former TTD chairman and YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP Y V Subba Reddy.
Prasanthi Reddy is said to have told investigators that the payments were made after a senior YSRCP leader requested assistance.
She stated that initially Rs 50,000 per month was paid, later reduced to Rs 25,000 for a certain period, citing humanitarian considerations.
She clarified that Chinna Appanna never worked for her and was neither her personal assistant nor associated with her office in any official capacity. She also denied recommending him for any employment in Delhi.
Meanwhile, the SIT questioned state information and public relations minister K Parthasarathi last week. He had served as a TTD board member for nearly two years from September 2019 during the YSRCP regime and was also part of the procurement committee.
Sources said Parthasarathi told investigators that following the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, he had minimal involvement in TTD board affairs and had no knowledge of any adulterated ghee supply. He reportedly stated that officials handled procurement-related matters.
In a significant development, the SIT has named Murali Krishna—the original complainant in the case—as an accused, suspecting his involvement in the alleged irregularities.
In this context, Shyamala Rao, who was serving as TTD Executive Officer at the time the complaint was lodged, has been listed as a witness.
Shyamala Rao was questioned by the SIT a few days ago. Sources said he provided detailed information on when and why suspicions about adulteration arose and explained the decision to send ghee samples to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) laboratory in Gujarat.