TDP lawmakers slam Jagan on 'prohibition promise'

TDP holds anti-liquor rally outside Assembly

Lokesh leads TDP rally decrying liquor deaths

Govt indifference reason for non-stop hooch deaths

AMARAVATI (prajaamaravati): TDP legislators led by party National General Secretary Nara Lokesh took out a rally outside the Assembly on Monday in protest against the YSRCP Government's 'failure' to prevent the illicit liquor deaths in the State.

The TDP MLAs and MLCs held placards and raised slogans, calling the tragic hooch deaths as 'Government murders'. Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy's betrayal on prohibition was the main reason for the non-stop harmful cheap liquor deaths.

Holding liquor bottles in their hands during their protest, the TDP lawmakers accused the Jagan regime of being responsible for 25 liquor deaths in the past few days. It was condemnable that the ruling party leaders were trying to portray Jangareddygudem arrack deaths as 'natural deaths'. The high rates of cheap liquor brands were the reason for the continuing hooch tragedies.

The Telugu Desam legislators said the ruling YSRCP leaders' greed for easy money became a curse for the people of Andhra Pradesh. Jagan Mohan Reddy should explain to the poor women why he did not fulfill the prohibition promise he made to them at the time of elections. This Chief Minister has turned out to be an expert in making false promises only to break them.

The TDP MLAs and MLCs deplored that there was no response from the Government even though hundreds of people died due to illicit liquor ever since the YSRCP came to power three years ago. Over 18 succumbed to spurious liquor at Jangareddygudem in West Godavari and over 3 deaths were reported at Doddi in East Godavari. The ruling party remained cold and indifferent.

The opposition legislators recalled how the ruling YSRCP leaders tried to portray YS Vivekananda Reddy's murder as a 'natural death' during the 2019 election. The Chief Minister had no respect for the life of his own babai. How could he be expected to give any value to the lives of ordinary and poor people? Every time there was a hooch tragedy, the Government only seemed to prove its lack of any concern for the bereaved families.

The TDP lawmakers said in their greed for power, the YSRCP MLAs and Ministers were making thousands of crores illegal money in liquor business to spend some of it to win in the next election. The only goal of the ruling party leaders was to make easy money at the cost of the public treasury and then use that money to buy votes. The CM and his Ministers would pay a heavy penalty for their negligence.

Those who took part in the protest were TDP state president K. Atchannaidu, MLAs Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, Nimmala Ramanaidu, Adireddy Bhavani, Yeluri Sambasiva Rao, Velagapudi Ramakrishna, MLCs P. Ashok Babu, Mantena Satyanarayana Raju, Deepak Reddy and others.