TDP demands liquor ban in Andhra

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], June 12 (ANI): Telugu Desam Party leaders Gadde Anuradha and Achanta Sunitha on Sunday demanded Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy a ban on the sale of liquor claiming that over 200 persons have lost their lives.
The leaders said that the Chief Minister had promised to impose a total ban on the liquor sale in the state ahead of the Assembly elections, however, he has not delivered on his promise.
"The Chief Minister's policies had turned AP into 'Maranaandhra Pradesh' (dead state). Over 230 persons died due to consumption of illicit liquor while another 52 died after drinking sanitiser," they alleged.
"The drinkers were suffering from ailments of kidneys, liver and heart because of harmful brands. Excessively high rates of liquor crushed the lives of poor families. Jagan Reddy reversed his policy and promised not to implement prohibition even partially just to get Rs. 8,000 cr of loans," the TDP leaders alleged.
The TDP leaders deplored that the Chief Minister was giving Rs 14,000 crore under Amma Vodi and taking back from poor families over Rs 40,000 through Nanna Buddi liquor sales.
"It was highly condemnable that Jagan Reddy agreed to the condition that liquor bonds would have to be liquidated by making total payments if prohibition was implemented in the State for the next 15 years," they said.
Anuradha alleged that the Reddy government turned the state into a "centre of cheap liquor".
"Jagan Reddy and his party leaders have turned the state into a centre of cheap liquor, illicit liquor and ganja for the sake of filling their personal treasuries," she said.
Sunitha said that Reddy, after assuming the office of the Chief Minister, is running the state with the liquor income.
"After becoming the CM, he was tearing apart the 'thalibotlu' of poor women for the sake of his illegal income. Jagan was in a pitiable and pathetic situation of running the State with liquor income," she alleged. (ANI)