Andhra liquor case: YSRCP accuses CM Naidu of implicating its leaders

Amaravati, Oct 15 YSR Congress Party leader and former minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy on Wednesday accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of orchestrating a calculated political conspiracy in the spurious liquor case to protect the TDP-run liquor mafia while falsely implicating YSRCP leaders.

Kakani said the spurious liquor network has expanded only under the present coalition government and is directly linked to TDP leaders and close associates of Chandrababu Naidu and Minister Nara Lokesh.

The former minister was addressing the media at the YSRCP’s Nellore district office.

He said that instead of acting against the real masterminds behind this dangerous network, the government has launched a diversionary propaganda campaign by dragging the name of former Minister Jogi Ramesh into the case through a fabricated and scripted video released by the accused Janardhan Rao.

He said the truth has already been established by the government’s own officials. On October 3, illegal spurious liquor manufacturing units were seized at Mulakalacheruvu, and a massive illegal liquor storage godown was uncovered in Ibrahimpatnam.

Excise Assistant Commissioner Chandrasekhar Reddy and the Deputy Commissioner officially confirmed that this fake liquor racket has been operating continuously for the last two to three months, clearly during the tenure of the current coalition government.

Yet, fearing public backlash, Chandrababu Naidu began pushing a false narrative that this mafia existed during the YSRCP government, despite having no evidence to support his claim, he said.

Govardhan Reddy alleged that Janardhan Rao was made to release a second scripted video on October 13, completely contradicting his first video, released on October 6, in which he did not mention Jogi Ramesh at all.

He raised a series of direct questions, saying the Chief Minister must answer them. If Janardhan Rao really named Jogi Ramesh, why is his name missing from the remand report submitted to the court? How was a second video recorded and leaked 24 hours after Janardhan Rao was sent to remand in Nellore jail? Who was the person prompting Janardhan Rao off-camera in that video? If Chandrababu Naidu claims the police raids were based on government intelligence, then why blame Jogi Ramesh? Why was no custody petition filed to interrogate Janardhan Rao, unlike in other cases? he asked.

--IANS

ms/dan

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