TDP slams new Excise Policy

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday accused the Congress government of transforming Andhra Pradesh into `Madhyandra Pradesh’ by giving liberal permits for the establishment of liquor shops instead of restricting them. 

Addressing a press conference at NTR Trust Bhavan, Naidu said that the government was "sucking the blood of the poor" in the guise of enhancement of revenue through extended excise policy. He said that the government should not look the liquor business on commercial angle.

Naidu said that he was against the 'lottery system' in allotment of liquor shops. He said the state government should follow the Kerala and New Delhi as role models and run liquor shop under government to put an end to the unauthorized belt shops. He said that the government should stringently implement the sale of liquor as per MRP and increase volumes and sales by providing quality products to poor.

Though liquor syndicate scam had exposed the involvement of ministers and their family members, he said that the government has totally failed to initiate action against them.