Spurious liquor racket linked to top leaders of Naidu government

Tadepalli, Oct 6: YSRCP General Secretary and Spokesperson Jupudi Prabhakar Rao charged that the spurious liquor racket has direct links to the highest levels of the Chandrababu Naidu government. Addressing the media at Party Central Office, he said the entire operation was planned even before the elections, and once Naidu took power, the liquor policy was deliberately altered to benefit the mafia.

He said government-run liquor shops were removed in a calculated move, handed over to coalition leaders, and belt shops were openly encouraged. Reports confirm that one out of every three liquor bottles sold in the State is counterfeit. Can this happen without the protection of government bigwigs?” he asked.

The factory in Molakalacheruvu, Annamaiah district, exposed how ruling party leaders are directly managing this trade. He revealed that TDP leaders, drawing from experience in Africa, imported spurious liquor models into Andhra Pradesh with Naidu’s blessings. Janardhan Naidu, a TDP leader, laid the groundwork before the elections. After coming to power, liquor shops were distributed through a lottery, ensuring only TDP control.

Across constituencies, syndicates were created, illegal permit rooms opened, belt shops mushroomed, godowns set up, and fake liquor brands circulated daily, with profits shared from top to bottom.

Prabhakar Rao said Naidu, who once promised “quality liquor at cheaper prices,” is now presiding over factories producing poisonous liquor. Fake brands like Sumo, Shot, Bengaluru Brandy, Champion, and Kerala Malt are openly sold, with even stocks seized from a godown in Ibrahimpatnam, NTR district.

“This is organised crime under Chandrababu Naidu. Public health is at grave risk, and the government is gambling with people’s lives for illegal wealth,” he said.