Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy is keeping the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) report secret only to blackmail the corrupt leaders, said the Telugu Desam Party President Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
Addressing a gathering at Kanimerla Thanda after visiting the houses of the arrack victims on Monday, Mr. Naidu fumed at the Government for not making the ACB report public. The Government was sucking the blood of the poor in the name of improving liquor sale, he alleged.
“Transport Minister Botcha Satyanarayana is a liquor don. It was a shame on the part of Government that a Minister himself announced that he owned 245 liquor shops in the State. The ACB report contained the list of persons involved in liquor syndicate and on how much ‘mamools' they were being paid'', the Opposition party leader said.
In his 30-minute speech, Mr. Naidu took advantage of the situation to attack the ruling party as well as the YSR Congress Party and the Praja Rajyam Party, which was merged in Congress recently.
Permits
He highlighted the achievements of the TDP while in power and asked people to vote for the TDP. Mr. Naidu said that late Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao was the only able leader and Y.S. Rajashekara Reddy had turned the State financial condition worst.
Alleging that the Chief Minister gave permits for distillery companies with vested interests, he asked Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy to tell how much amount he got from the companies for sanctioning the permits.
“The Congress party MLAs and Ministers shared the liquor shops and are doing business. A quarter bottle which costs about Rs.46 was being sold at Rs.100 to Rs.120. As the poor could not afford to purchase IML at higher price, they are consuming country-made liquor and are losing their lives'', he observed.
Government has failed to solve power, water and agrarian problems in the State, but was giving permits for distillery companies and liquor sales freely. The YSR Congress party which was in neck-deep corrupt allegations will merge in Congress once the Government lift cases against its party president, Mr. Naidu predicted.
