Government citing liquor sales for Rs 25K crore loans: TDP

Amaravati : TDP Spokesman Syed Rafi on Saturday termed it as shameless that the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government was trying to mortgage the drinkers and poor families in the state in order to take Rs 25,000 crore loans in an unlawful manner.

Rafi deplored that Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy was roaming in the streets of Delhi to get these massive loans by projecting Rs 20,000 crore annual revenue to the state from the liquor sales. It was high time that the Chief Minister should explain to women whether he was committed to his slogan of credibility and manifesto promise on the phased introduction of total prohibition or not.

Addressing a press conference here, the TDP leader deplored that Jagan Mohan Reddy's betrayals and misdeeds in his capacity as the Chief Minister were creating new records. While the CM promised a gradual reduction in liquor consumption in his five-year period, there was a steady rise in excise revenue in the past two years. The present rulers spoke of shutting down belt shops but later they opened mobile liquor shops.

Rafi said the ruling YSRCP activists were freely going even to the corners of all areas to sell liquor bottles on their motorcycles. The CM's relatives and his party leaders were making spurious liquor and selling the same shamelessly in order to fill their pockets. In the past two years, over Rs 10,000 crore illegal revenue has flown to the CM's personal treasury through unlawful liquor making and sales in Tadepalli. Every year, they were making Rs 5,000 crore illegal revenue, he alleged.

The TDP leader asked what the government-appointed Prohibition Awareness Committee was doing when liquor was freely flowing all over the state. Left with no alternative, the drinkers were getting addicted to drugs and sanitisers as they were unable to buy highly priced liquor brands. In the process, many drinkers were losing their lives. YSRCP MLA R K Roja made a hue and cry over liquor in the TDP regime but now maintaining silence on the issue.

Rafi said the government earned Rs 3,800 crore out of liquor sales only in May and June months. This made it clear how the Chief Minister was promoting the liquor sales contrary to his promise on phased prohibition. Roja and YSRCP women leaders broke liquor bottles during the TDP rule but now they sealed their own mouths when so much harm was being done to the poor families.

The TDP leader deplored that the CM and his party leaders were spreading lies on the closure of 43,000 belt shops. The truth was that the government itself was helping the YSRCP leaders to run thousands of mobile liquor shops. As the government was selling cheap and harmful liquor at very high rates, many drinkers were becoming ganja addicts.

Some were drinking sanitisers and losing their lives. The CM and his advisors should take responsibility for all their suffering, he pointed out.