Botsa slams Naidu for politicising hooch tragedy

Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana on Wednesday took serious objection on politicisation of hooch tragedy in Mylavaram incident which claimed 18 tribal lives.

Talking to media persons at Gandhi Bhavan, the PCC chief condemned Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu for intentionally politicizing the issue to get advantage on it.  He alleged that TDP MLA Devineni Umamaheswara Rao’s supporters were responsible for supplying the illicit liquor in the district. However, he said that the real truth would come out only after the completion of investigation. He said that the government would take stern action against the guilty.

Condemning Naidu's statement that he would sell `cheap liquor’ to consumers if he come to power in the state, the PCC chief said that this indicates his real political motives.  Stating that the government was taking all measures to ensure such incidents do no recur, he asked the leaders of all political parties to give constructive suggestions to make an effective policy.

Botsa also lashed out YSR Congress president Jagan Mohan Reddy for launching `Fee Porubata’ to get mileage on students’ issue. He challenged Jagan to show with evidence a single case wherein a student was forced to discontinue studies in 2010-11 due to non-payment of fee reimbursement or scholarship.  He said that the government would take stringent action the institutions which are forcing the students to pay fee tuition fees and not allowing them to sit in for the annual examinations.

The PCC chief asked as to why Jagan Mohan Reddy did not field his candidates in the bye-elections to be held for assembly constituencies in the Telangana region. He suspected that Jagan, who supported United Andhra in parliament, had some `match fixing’ with the TRS for not fielding his candidates in the bye-elections in Telangana.

Botsa also said that Congress in-charge of state affairs and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad would participate in coordination committee meeting to be held on Thursday.