Proddatur, May 17: The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) unequivocally condemns the alleged massive liquor policy scam and politically motivated persecution orchestrated by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his son, Nara Lokesh, in Andhra Pradesh. Speaking to the media at the YSRCP office in Proddatur, former MLA and YSRCP State Spokesperson Rachamallu Shivaprasad Reddy exposed a meticulously planned extortion racket, accusing the Naidu family of amassing over RS. 10,000 crore through illicit liquor commissions over five years.
Reddy revealed that the coalition government’s liquor policy funnels crores of rupees monthly to Naidu’s “Karakatta Palace” in Amaravati. He disclosed that Naidu personally pockets Rs. 1,000 crore annually from distilleries, while Lokesh collects Rs. 1,200 crore yearly from liquor shops, totaling Rs. 2,200 crore per year. In Proddatur alone, with 40 liquor shops and 10 bars, each shop pays Rs. 70,000 to the Excise Department and Rs. 30,000 to police stations monthly, as confirmed by local MLA Varadarajulu Reddy. This translates to Rs. 5 crore monthly from Kadapa’s 500 shops, with similar collections statewide feeding Lokesh’s coffers. “This father-son duo is running the state’s largest scam, looting Rs. 10,000 crore while betraying the people,” Reddy charged, challenging TDP leaders to deny these collections under oath.
Reddy debunked Naidu’s claims of a Rs. 3,200 crore scam under the YSRCP, calling them fabricated to justify vendetta politics. He highlighted the coalition’s failure to deliver on promises of affordable, quality liquor, with prices hiked for popular brands like White Hall, Kings Well, and Officers’ Choice, now sold at Rs. 160, up Rs. 10 from YSRCP’s tenure. “Naidu’s Rs. 99 quality liquor is a myth. Consumers face inconsistent supply, forced to buy substandard brands laced with harmful spirits,” he said, warning of health risks. The resurgence of illegal belt shops and 24-hour liquor sales at inflated prices, Reddy added, has economically crippled families, reversing YSRCP’s reforms that reduced shops and banned belt shops.
“Naidu falsely accuses Jagan of taking bribes from distilleries he approved,” Reddy said, exposing the coalition’s governance failures. Unable to implement the promised “Super Six” welfare schemes, Naidu resorts to diversionary tactics, jailing YSRCP leaders to mask his incompetence.
The YSRCP demands an immediate investigation into the Rs. 10,000 crore liquor scam, the release of wrongfully detained officers, and accountability for the Naidu family’s alleged corruption.
YSRCP slams Naidu’s illegal arrests as ploy to hide governance failures
