CBI should probe spurious liquor case

Tadepalli/Rajahmundry, Oct 14: The YSR Congress Party has slammed the coalition government for its vindictive politics and attempts to falsely implicate the Opposition Leader in the spurious liquor case, demanding that the investigation be handed over to a central agency like the CBI to bring out the truth.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, former MLA Kethireddy Venkatrami Reddy and former minister Chelliboina Srinivas Venugopal said that the moment the spurious liquor operation in Ibrahimpatnam was exposed and former minister Jogi Ramesh reacted strongly, his name was deliberately dragged into the case as part of a political conspiracy.

Kethireddy challenged the government to subject him and Janardhan, who is currently in custody, to a lie detector (polygraph) test to prove who is speaking the truth. He said the SIT cannot deliver justice as it is being influenced by those in power, and therefore the probe must be handed over to the CBI.

He said that even though officials clearly stated that the spurious liquor production unit had been operating only for two and a half months, the TDP’s propaganda machinery began falsely claiming that it had been running for three years to maliciously link YSRCP leaders to the case. He asserted that a fair inquiry cannot be expected under the current government and only a central investigation agency can ensure impartiality.

Both leaders questioned why the investigation is moving slowly and said it is because top figures in the government are involved. They also refuted the baseless allegation that 3,000 people died during the previous government due to spurious liquor, calling it a fabricated story created to divert public attention from the mafia operating under the coalition regime.

They also demanded to know how videos of persons in police custody were leaked, which clearly indicates political manipulation in the case. They reiterated that the SIT probe lacks credibility and the investigation must be transferred to the CBI without delay.