Naidu has to announce his stand on alcohol ban: Narayana Swamy

Amaravati: K Narayana Swamy, Deputy Chief Minister (Excise) demanded the Leader of Opposition and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu announce whether he was opposing or supporting the decision of the state government on the ban on liquor consumption.

Addressing at a press conference at Secretariat on Tuesday, the Dy CM said that Chandrababu Naidu was encouraging the liquor consumption and behaving like a president for All India Drinkers. He criticised that the TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh was making baseless comments on the state government for increasing the prices. He said that the government will further enhance the prices and reduce sales by 25 per cent in the next phase.

Narayana Swamy added that there was no second thought in the state government on the phased wise ban on liquor consumption. Though the adicts may suffer in the initial days, it will benefit their families in the larger context, in the long run, he added. Particularly, the women and children were very happy with the implementation of the ban and imposing restrictions on the alcohol consumption in the State by the chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, he informed.

He further said that the liquor syndicates were encouraged in the previous regime for the commissions and now there was no such mafia in this government. The Dy CM said that there was no need to bother about the brands of the alcohol and the government did not take any new brand. He said that all the present brands available in the market were approved by the previous government.