YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Legal Cell Chairman M. Manohar Reddy strongly criticized the allegations of alcohol scams during his tenure as “no more than a fantastic story (Bethala Katha) fabricated by the NDA government.”
Speaking to the media at the party office on Monday, Mr Manohar Reddy described the alcohol case as “a politically motivated woman based on unfounded allegations and procedural violations.”
The case only comes from a letter from an unknown individual, “Venkateswara Srinivas”, which has no reliable link to the liquor trade.
Instead of filing a formal complaint, the authorities accepted the postal letter and bypassed the standard query protocol. He claimed that in just nine days, the “investigation” was completed without transparency of the person being asked or the evidence collected.
Mr Manohar Reddy criticized the lack of designated police stations or CCTV surveillance, which undermined the integrity of the investigation.
Officials on the scene acted under political pressure, systematically targeting former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and senior YSRCP leaders and harassing respected industrialists on fabricated allegations. He claimed that Raj Kasireddy did not sign any confession and, as the court endorsed, individuals like Chanakya and Sridhar Reddy were forced to make false statements.
Mr Manohar Reddy said the alcohol federation lost an estimated Rs 5,000 crore during the tenure of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, and the country’s finance ministry controlled 53% of procurement by only four companies, and the facts were also highlighted in the CAG Audit report. By contrast, the YSRCP government’s liquor policy reduced the alcohol channels by 33%, reducing consumption and ending private groups. He added that the current NDA Alliance (TDP-BJP-JSP) government is reversing these reforms, stores with illegal stores are spreading and alcohol sales are increasing.
publishing – April 29, 2025 04:33 AM IST
