More than 50 percent of the money being distributed to beneficiaries of various welfare schemes through ‘button nokkudu’ (pressing of button) by Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, is being extorted through sale of liquor, said TDP official spokesman, Neelayapalem Vijay Kumar, on Wednesday.
Jagan, who promised to implement total prohibition in the State has been selling Rs 80 cr worth of liquor daily and in these five years a total of 1.25 lakh cr worth of liquor was sold in the State, Vijay Kumar told media persons at the party headquarters here. The Chief Minister thus made a whopping Rs one lakh cr profit through liquor sale alone, he added.
Recalling the recent statement made by Jagan while distributing tabs to the students that he has till now directly transferred Rs 2.60 lakh cr through ‘button nokkudu’, the TDP spokesman felt that at the same meeting Jagan would have mentioned that he has extorted Rs 1.25 lakh cr from the people through liquor sale. Then, the people would have learnt the ground reality, he said.
The Chief Minister has admitted that he is taking back at least 50 per cent of the amount that he is distributing to the poor, Vijay Kumar stated. Jagan, who promised the people that he would seek votes from them only after implementing total prohibition, in contrast, increased the liquor sale by 67 per cent, he pointed out.
Giving an year-wise detailed statistics on the total liquor sale in these five years, Vijaya Kumar said that even in the combined Andhra Pardesh never the then governemnts had earned Rs one lakh cr per annum through liquor sale, he observed. Vijay Kumar is of strong belief that revsion of the liqor prices only to discourage people from drinking is totally false.
It is really deplorable that on the one hand making a promise to the people that total prohibtion would be implemented and on the other increasing the liquor sale, Vijay Kumar felt. At least 25 per cent of the State revenue through sale of liquor and at least four lakh belt shops are existing in various parts of the State, he said.
Even spurious liquor is being soled at all the shops, he said and state that all this is meant only to make money by looting the public. The management of all the distillieries is being handed over only to the followers of Jagan only to encourage them to manufacture poor quality liquor, he said. If anyone refuses to manufacture such poor quality stuff, such managements are being blackmailed, the TDP leader remarked.
Vijaya Kumar asked as to why digital payments are not allowed at liquor shops when even petty shops are allowing such payments and felt that it is noting but to ransacking the poor. The entire process is only aimed at trasferring the revenue earned through liquor sale directly to the Tadepalle palace, he remarked.
Vijaya Kumar said that it is highly unethical to extract such huge amount of money from the poor in the name of revision of prices. Women are now getting ready to save their familes by defeating Jagan and this atrocious rule has come to an end, the TDP spokesman added.
