The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Legal Cell president M. Manohar Reddy strongly criticised the liquor scam allegations during the party’s tenure as ‘nothing but a fantastical story (Bethala katha) fabricated by the NDA government’.
Addressing the media at the party office on Monday, Mr. Manohar Reddy described the the liquor case as a ‘politically motivated witch-hunt, built on baseless allegations and procedural violations’.
The case originated merely from letters sent by an unknown individual, “Venkateswara Srinivas,” with no proven connection to the liquor trade.
Instead of lodging formal complaints, the authorities accepted postal letters and bypassed standard inquiry protocols. Within just nine days, an ‘investigation’ was completed without transparency about those questioned or the evidence gathered, he alleged.
Mr. Manohar Reddy criticised the SIT for operating without a designated police station or CCTV surveillance, undermining investigation integrity.
The SIT officers were acting under political pressure, systematically targeting former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and senior YSRCP leaders, and harassing respected industrialists with fabricated charges. Raj Kasireddy did not sign any confession, as recognised by the courts, and individuals like Chanakya and Sridhar Reddy were coerced into making false statements, he alleged.
Mr. Manohar Reddy said that during Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s tenure, liquor syndicates caused a loss of an estimated ₹5,000 crore to the State exchequer, with 53% procurement controlled by just four companies and the facts were also highlighted in CAG audit reports. In contrast, the liquor policy under the YSRCP government reduced liquor outlets by 33%, cut consumption, and ended private syndicates. The current NDA coalition (TDP-BJP-JSP) government was reversing these reforms, with illegal belt shops proliferating and liquor sales surging unchecked, he added.
Published – April 29, 2025 04:33 am IST
