Visakhapatnam: Dy CM dares Purandeswari to prove allegations against liquor quality

Visakhapatnam : Responding strongly to BJP state president D Purandeswari, who has been criticising the poor quality of liquor in Andhra Pradesh, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Excise and Commercial Taxes K Narayana Swamy announced that he is willing to submit his resignation from the post if the allegation is proved with evidence. Inaugurating the Regional Prohibition and Excise Laboratory (RPEL) here on Thursday, the Deputy CM wondered if Purandeswari is BJP state president or an auditor of liquor shops.

He said the RPEL centres have been set up at a cost of Rs 20 crore. “We conduct more in-depth alcohol beverages tests with instrumental testing methods as prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards,” informed Narayana Swamy.

Smuggled and substandard liquor seized during excise raids and recovered in such cases would be tested at the centre and its properties will be determined accordingly, the Deputy Chief Minister mentioned.

Narayana Swamy questioned whether TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu and national secretary N Lokesh would go to polls without displaying NT Rama Rao’s portrait.

Further, the Deputy CM criticised Jana Sena Party chief K Pawan Kalyan that he came into politics to end corruption but went to jail and met the TDP chief, who was arrested on corruption charges.

Meanwhile, the BJP state president has already announced that she will complain about the liquor quality with the Union Ministers and call for a CBI inquiry as she alleged that people’s health is affected and many are losing their lives due to the consumption of cheap liquor made available in the state.

However, the recent statement made by the Deputy CM that he would submit his resignation if the liquor quality is proved to be substandard indicates the possibility of a war of words between the YSRCP and the BJP.

So far, the YSRCP ministers have been making remarks against the BJP state president in a lighter tone. However, following Narayana Swamy’s statement, it has to be seen on how the BJP state unit is going to respond to it. Earlier, YSRCP regional coordinator YV Subba Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister, IT and Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath and former minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao laid a foundation stone for the construction of Excise Complex in Anandapuram mandal under the auspices of Andhra Pradesh Beverage Corporation at a cost of Rs 20 crore in five acres of land.