HYDERABAD: Refuting the allegations levelled by BRS leader T Harish Rao, Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao on Wednesday said that there was no scam in the Excise sector.
Speaking to reporters here, the minister said that he was ready for a debate on the issue. Stating that he had sacrificed his ministerial berth for the sake of a separate Telangana, he said: “I didn’t commit any mistake in implementing the Excise policy. I’m prepared for anything.”
The minister also said: “The state’s liquor income increased from `10,000 crore to `35,000 crore during the BRS regime. But under the Congress, the excise revenue dropped to `34,603 crore. It was the BRS that turned Telangana into a state of drunkards.”
Alleging that the BRS introduced the elite bar policy and micro brewery system, he said: “Bills to breweries have been pending due to the debts raised by the BRS regime. Because of the huge debt burden, the interest on loans increased from `6,000 crore to `75,000 crore,” the minister said.
On the allegation that water from Singur dam was being supplied to breweries and not for irrigation purposes, he said, “It’s an old practice to provide Singur water to breweries.”
Claiming that Harish was levelling false allegations against the Congress government, the minister said that several scams took place during the BRS regime.