Sajjala dismisses liquor scam as ‘fabrication’ by Naidu

Highlights

Vijayawada: YSRCP state coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Friday alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu created the liquor scam only...

Vijayawada: YSRCP state coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Friday alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu created the liquor scam only to divert public attention from the corruption that took place during his earlier tenure.

He alleged that the government is running a malicious campaign using baseless theories and linking unrelated cash seizures to the liquor scam with no clear evidence.

Speaking to the media outside the ACB Court here, he recalled that the actual liquor scam took place during the TDP regime from 2014 to 2019, when Rs 1,300 crore per annum worth of privileged fees were cancelled without the approval of the finance department or discussion in the Cabinet. He said that Chandrababu Naidu himself had signed that file.

Ramakrishna Reddy questioned why no investigation has been initiated into that clear case of corruption. In contrast, he claimed, the SIT is now pursuing ‘imaginary connections’ using flimsy stories and vague assumptions. He said that the SIT itself has no clarity on where the scam occurred or how.

Referring to the Rs 11 crore seized recently, he said attempts to link it to Raj Kasireddy and YSRCP MP Midhun Reddy are politically motivated. He questioned how a person in jail for 90 days could still hold on to that money without disposing of it.