- विज्ञापन -
Tadepalli [Andhra Pradesh]: YSR Congress Party MP Maddila Gurumoorthy sharply rejected what he called false and politically motivated accusations of a liquor scam.
In a strong statement, Gurumoorthy accused the TDP government of launching a vendetta-driven campaign to target former YSRCP officials and tarnish opposition leaders’ reputation through fabricated cases, coerced confessions, and media manipulation. He claimed the current administration is misusing mechanisms like the “Red Book Constitution” to investigate past officials, while ignoring an alleged liquor scam that allegedly occurred during Chandrababu Naidu’s previous tenure as Chief Minister from 2014 to 2019. Citing CID and ACB documents from that period, he stated an FIR had named Naidu as Accused No. 3, with the then-Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra and the Excise Commissioner as primary accused.
Gurumoorthy accused the government of deliberately neglecting the case since Naidu returned to power, suggesting it has been “buried.” He also alleged that amendments made to the 2012 Excise Policy during the TDP regime benefited certain distilleries affiliated with party leaders—such as SPY Agro, Visakha Distillery, and PMK Distillery—enabling them to evade taxes, which reportedly caused a loss of Rs. 1,300 crore annually to the state treasury. He cited documents indicating that recommendations to increase privilege fees were reversed, with official correspondence showing approval from Naidu’s office.
Further, the MP accused the current government of coercing statements from former officials, including Vasudeva Reddy, ex-Managing Director of the Beverages Corporation, despite his anticipatory bail in four cases. He claimed lower-level employees were also detained and pressured into giving false testimonies.
Defending the previous regime’s procurement practices, Gurumoorthy stated that all transactions were conducted through bank channels and involved suppliers appointed during Chandrababu Naidu’s earlier term. He emphasized that no liquor files under the Excise Department had reached the Chief Minister’s Office during the YSRCP rule.
The statement also criticized the government for failing to fulfill promises of providing cheaper liquor before the 2024 elections, instead increasing prices and manipulating tender processes to extract commissions. Gurumoorthy pointed out that over 80% of current liquor sales involve low-cost brands promoted by the current regime, and questioned the manual ordering systems, noting that even digital records indicated a concentration of orders among a few distilleries—allegedly linked to TDP.
He concluded by alleging thatinstead of addressing the Rs. 1,300 crore revenue loss caused by the abolition of privilege fees during Naidu’s tenure, the government is fabricating new cases as a political tool to malign opponents, calling the ongoing probe a diversionary tactic.
