YSR Congress Party has demanded an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into the liquor scam and demanded the resignation of Excise Minister MopideviVenkataramana for receiving kickbacks from the liquor syndicate.
“The report of excise minister receiving Rs 10 lakh as payoff is just a tip of the iceberg. The Government should make public the ACB report to make the names public and order an inquiry into the liquor mafia,” party spokesperson Janak Prasad told reporters here on Wednesday.
There were reports that 8 ministers and 40 MLAs were involved in the liquor syndicate which earns additional revenue of Rs 5,500 crores per annum of which Rs 1,600 crores are given as bribes, he said adding that the state should sack the excise minister if fails to put in his papers.
The additional amount is earned by hiking the MRP by 100 to 200 per cent and selling the liquor beyond the permissible timings.
At a time when there is water shortage in 1,800 villages, the Kiran Kumar Reddy Government extending the production capacity of 17 distilleries justifying that it is based on demand and supply theory is highly deplorable.
Alleging that the liquor mafia involves leaders of all political parties, he said, TDP leader N Chandababu Naidu was very supportive of the liquor sale which is very sad.
What is shocking is that despite the Government’s claims of issuing liquor capacity extension permits to limit the proliferation of illicit brewing and sale of hooch liquor, there is still no check on the growing number of hooch shops. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has no count of how many hooch outlets or belt shops as they are called locally , exist in Chittoor district, said YSR Congress Party spokesperson, Janak Prasad. Tragedies like the Mylavaram hooch tragedy continue unabated, despite Government’s empty claims – so it is clear that revenue is the only concern.
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