Minister questions Jagan over alleged liquor scam

Metro India News | AMARAVATI : Housing Minister Kolusu Parthasarathi has alleged that the previous YSR Congress government’s liquor policy between 2019 and 2024 involved large-scale financial irregularities and demanded that former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy respond to allegations surrounding the alleged Rs 3,200-crore liquor scam. Addressing a press conference at the TDP central office in Mangalagiri on Sunday, Parthasarathi referred to statements attributed to former Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation (APSBCL) officer Satya Prasad and alleged that kickbacks were collected under the previous regime.

The Rs 3,200-crore figure is part of the ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in liquor procurement and distribution. Court records in the case describe allegations including manipulation of the Order for Supply (OFS) system, preferential treatment for certain brands and suppression of established brands. The Enforcement Directorate has also initiated a money-laundering investigation into the alleged scam.  Parthasarathi questioned the reported decision to move government liquor sales away from digital payments and rely heavily on cash transactions.

He also alleged that the previous administration introduced new brands, shifted the OFS process from an automated to a manual system and centralized liquor transportation contracts in ways that enabled manipulation. The Minister further alleged irregularities in the recruitment and payment of staff at government liquor outlets and in the allocation of transportation contracts. He accused the previous government of compromising consumers’ health by allowing the sale of poor-quality liquor, while claiming that the present coalition government had introduced stricter quality-control measures.

According to Parthasarathi, liquor is now subjected to 13 quality tests before being sold, while CCTV cameras have been installed at outlets. He also said 10 per cent of liquor shops had been allocated to members of the Goud community and that the AP Excise Suraksha application was being used for monitoring quality and operations. The Minister demanded that Jagan respond to the allegations emerging from the investigation. The allegations remain contested. YSRCP leader and former minister Perni Venkataramaiah has rejected the liquor-scam narrative, alleging that the investigation was being used politically and questioning the evidence supporting the Rs 3,200-crore figure.