Liquor scam: Botsa seeks CBI probe

>Pcc President Botsa Satyanarayana On Thursday wrote a letter to Chief Minister K Kiran Kumar Reddy to order a CBI probe into the allegations leveled against him in the liquor scam.

>With the main opposition TDP hurling allegations against him in the liquor syndicate scam, Botsa has written the letter seeking a CBI probe or an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge to bring out the facts. Taking strong exception to TDP charges against him, the PCC president said the allegations were baseless and they were targeting him only to gain political mileage, Botsa told reporters at Gandhi Bhavan here.

>“I am ready to cooperate with any probing agency in the investigations,” he stated. “The truth will come to light only through a high-level inquiry,” he said. The state Congress chief said that his family members own 31 shops in the district which accounts for 27 per cent share only.

>“If any of my family members violate government norms, I will give up my share in the liquor business,” he said. He slammed TDP for raising the issue as belt shops cropped up during TDP rule and Naidu has no moral right to talk on liquor as he violated the prohibition policy imposed by TDP founder NT Rama Rao and gave liberal permits to liquor shops.

>He asked party workers to inform Excise officials if any shop sells liquor at an exorbitant price in violation of the norms.

>The PCC chief said that the government would establish a Toll Free Number to register complaints on liquor issue.