Tadepalli, May 23: Former Minister Sake Sailajanath demanded that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to provide clear answers to the questions raised by former CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy regarding the alleged liquor case.
Speaking to media, Sailajanath stated the coalition government fabricating stories through yellow journalism, particularly via the Eenadu newspaper, to deflect from their inability to counter Jagan’s evidence-based revelations about irregularities during Chandrababu’s tenure. He expressed shock at Eenadu’s claim that crores of pages of data related to the liquor scam were deleted, questioning whether such information was destroyed from official files and, if so, why no action has been taken against responsible excise officials or liquor companies.
He challenged the coalition government’s contradictory narrative, noting that they claim all data was destroyed while simultaneously alleging a multi-thousand crore scam based on “backend” data collection. the government manipulating data to cover up their misdeeds, as evidenced by their reliance on baseless stories in Eenadu. He further questioned why no cases have been filed against excise officials, distilleries, or distributors if such large-scale data deletion occurred, asserting that such claims are outright lies. Sailajanath highlighted that government departments would retain records, and any widespread data destruction would implicate the entire system, including the Excise Commissioner, necessitating action that the government has conspicuously avoided.
The former minister also criticized coalition leaders for their inconsistent statements on the alleged liquor case. Chandrababu claimed on March 25, 2022, that Jagan earned Rs.10,000 crore through liquor, while Purandeswari alleged on October 9, 2024, that Rs. 25,000 crore was amassed annually. Minister Atchannaidu claimed Rs. 1 lakh crore per year, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan cited Rs. 41,000 crore. Chandrababu announced Rs. 18,000 crore in losses in the Assembly on July 25, 2024, while Pawan Kalyan claimed Rs. 30,000 crore on the same day. MPs CM Ramesh and Krishnadevarayulu further muddied the waters with claims of Rs. 30,000 crore and Rs. 18,000 crore, respectively, with the latter alleging Rs. 4,000 crore was siphoned abroad. Sailajanath argued that these wildly varying figures demonstrate the absence of a genuine liquor case, but coalition leaders making baseless claims to mislead the public. He reiterated YS Jagan’s challenge, noting that while Chandrababu and former Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra’s signatures appear on files related to the liquor scam during the TDP regime, no such evidence implicates the YSRCP.
Sailajanath demanded accountability and urged the government to stop spreading falsehoods and focus on governance.
YSRCP flays Chandrababu for not replying to YS Jagan pointed questions
