TDP dismisses CM claims on 'prohibition'

Mangalagiri: TDP national spokesman K Pattabhi Ram on Friday criticied Chief Minister Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy for making 'misleading statements' on the implementation of his government's promise on phased implementation of total prohibition.

Pattabhi Ram expressed concern that the Chief Minister has been amassing huge black money by making cheap liquor in his own benami distillery companies, transporting it through his own networks and selling it in the government shops. Only for making black money, the Jagan regime was accepting cash alone at the government liquor shops but no digital payments of any sort including GooglePay, debit cards or others.

Addressing a press conference here, the TDP leader said that Jagan Mohan Reddy has literally become the biggest liquor don in the entire country by owning over 3,500 liquor shops in the name of sale by the government. When this was the fact, the Chief Minister was making wrong claims in his latest review meeting that his regime was taking all steps towards phased prohibition. It was interesting that Jagan Mohan Reddy held his latest review on liquor, sand and drugs, which were all his favourite mafia sources to make huge amounts of black money, he said.

Pattabhi Ram advised the Chief Minister to check his excise department dash board before making false claims that liquor consumption was coming down. As per the dashboard, sale of IML liquor rose by 43 lakh cases when compared to last year. Over 36.59 lakh beer cases were sold this year as against 14.97 lakh cases last year, which was a rise by over 21 lakh beer cases. "How can the Chief Minister say that his government was taking steps to reduce consumption? Moreover, more shops and new malls are being opened in the name of tourism promotion," he said. The TDP leader alleged that false accounts were being maintained in the liquor distilleries, transportation and sales shops. When one lakh cases were sold in the shops, only 50,000 cases would be shown in the books. He alleged that the Jagan rule pushed ports into private hands only to use them for smuggling of drugs. Sudhakar, who was arrested in Rs 21,000 crore heroin seizure, got his company registered in the vicinity of Jagan Mohan Reddy's official residence and in the heart of Vijayawada city, he added.