The politics in Andhra Pradesh are running around liquor brands all through the week. Both the opposition and the ruling party leaders are making reference to the liquor brands that are being sold in the liquor outlets in the state for the past three years.
It all started with the hooch deaths in Jangareddigudem of West Godavari district early this month. The Opposition TDP took lead out of the deaths and stalled the proceedings of the Assembly holding the chief minister responsible for the tragedy. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, his son Lokesh, and several TDP leaders started talking about the liquor brands in the state.
The popular liquor brands included President Medal, Governors Reserve, Heavens Door, Cliff Hanger, Russian Romonova, Boom Boom Beer ets. The TDP leaders alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy had brought in these cheap brands to exploit the people. The TDP leaders termed these brands as J brands, meaning Jagan brands.
In return, the ruling YSR Congress leaders came out with the evidential documents explaining that all these brands were licensed by the TDP government between 2016 and 2019 by then chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. The YSR Congress leaders circulated the permission letters issued by the Chandrababu Naidu government and termed them B brands and L brands, meaning Babu brands and Lokesh brands.
Even the chief minister went on record in the Assembly showing the licenses issued by the Chandrababu Naidu regime for all these brands and called them all L brands or B brands. The chief minister went one step ahead and explained that all the distilleries in the state are owned by the TDP leaders or their family members.
Jagan Mohan Reddy said that his government did not give permission to even a single brand in the last three years but had extended the license for a few brands, while other brands license was extended by Chandrababu Naidu government in its last days.
Interestingly, the TDP campaign goes well down the lane with people believing that all these brands are permitted by Jagan Mohan Reddy government despite the ruling party releasing the documentary evidences!
