VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has issued a stern directive to officials to take uncompromising action against the production and sale of illicit liquor in the State.
During a high-level meeting with ministers and senior officials on Wednesday, he emphasised that no leniency should be shown toward those endangering lives through spurious liquor.
Naidu commended the officials’ efforts for the past 15 months in curbing non-duty-paid liquor inflow from other States, and urged them to ensure that no illicit liquor production centres or bootleggers operate within Andhra Pradesh. He instructed the Excise, Enforcement, and Police Departments to work in close coordination to achieve this goal.
The officials updated the Chief Minister about the probe into the illicit liquor racket at Mulakalacheruvu in Annamayya district.
In all, 21 suspects were identified and 12 arrested. A manhunt was launched to nab all other accused.
Prime suspect Addepalli Janardhan Rao, who runs ANR Bar & Restaurant at Ibrahimpatnam in NTR district, is under scrutiny for his financial transactions and businesses. During raids in Ibrahimpatnam, illicit liquor stocks hidden behind a grocery shop were unearthed. Janardhan Rao had allegedly produced and supplied spurious liquor with his brother Addepalli Jagan Mohan Rao, and associates. In a related case, 12 additional suspects were identified, and three were arrested.
The Chief Minister accused opposition YSRCP leaders of spreading false narratives to create public fear, alleging widespread illicit liquor flow, and linking unrelated deaths to spurious liquor. He dismissed the YSRCP claim that ‘one out of three liquor bottles was fake’ as baseless propaganda aimed at political gain.
Naidu directed the officials to conduct a thorough investigation into every allegation of liquor-related deaths, using scientific methods like post-mortem to establish facts, and take strict legal action against those spreading misinformation through media or social media platforms. Naidu urged the State Ministers to proactively debunk false narratives, referencing YSRCP’s history of manipulative propaganda.
Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh attended the review meeting in person, while others, including Home Minister V Anitha, joined via video conference.
The Chief Minister stressed that the NDA government’s fulfilment of election promises has left no room for legitimate criticism, pushing the opposition to resort to rumour-mongering for political gain.