YCP spurious brands destroying poor families: Anitha
Ironically, Govt depending heavily on liquor revenue
AMARAVATI: Telugu Mahila state president Vangalapudi Anitha on Monday demanded that Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy should fulfill his pre-election promise to implement the phased total prohibition to protect the interests of the poor women in the State.
Anitha asked why the CM has been diluting his promise on prohibition by bringing in totally harmful liquor policies in the past two and half years. Alarmingly, unhealthy brands being sold by the YSRCP regime were causing deaths of addicted persons thereby tearing the ‘mangalasutras’ of poor women.
Addressing a press conference here, the TDP leader dared the Chief Minister to explain how he would be able to implement ‘prohibition’ when his regime was depending on greater revenue from liquor sales. The standard brands available in all other States were not available in Andhra Pradesh now. Local, cheap liquor brands were being sold under the unheard names like President Medal, British Empire, Boom Boom, etc.
Anitha advised the CM to discontinue the local harmful brands and make available the standard brands so as to prevent the deaths of drinkers. The AP local brands were causing liver problems like jaundice and other diseases. The doctors were also saying that anybody would die within a year if they would drink the YSRCP cheap liquor brands for a year.
The TDP leader recalled how Jagan Reddy criticised during elections that even 10th class students and children were falling victim to liquor menace at that time. That was what was happening right now under the YCP rule. What more, the children were being turned into addicts for ganja, drugs and other harmful products.
Decrying the Government’s ‘irresponsibility’, Anitha accused the Chief Minister of aiming at over Rs. 6,000 Cr monthly revenue from liquor sales. Of this, Rs. 1,000 Cr only would go to the beverages corporation. The remaining Rs. 5,000 Cr would go into the pockets of the ruling YSRCP. The CM was mobilizing thousands of crores in order to hijack the elections with money power.
The TDP leader said the Government was giving just Rs. 10,000 under Amma Vodi but taking back Rs. 40,000 through sale of cheap liquor brands. Not only this, the harmful liquor was leading to death of breadwinners eventually throwing their families on the roads. There was a time when some sections drank sanitisers and died due to the high cost of liquor.
Anitha said that the YSRCP women leaders and the Women’s Commission were silent on the harmful consequences of the Jagan Reddy liquor policy. During the TDP regime, they broke liquor bottles but now remain silent despite the deaths being caused by the spurious liquor brands of the YSRCP.
