YSRCP blames govt for bus tragedy

Guntur: YSR Congress Party Kurnool District president SV Mohan Reddy held the coalition government squarely responsible for the tragic Kurnool bus accident, stating that the incident was a direct consequence of unchecked liquor trade and criminal negligence by the ruling dispensation. “The state government must accept moral and administrative responsibility for the loss of lives and immediately compensate each victim’s family with Rs 1 crore,” he demanded. He stated that the coalition government has converted ‘Andhra Pradesh’ into ‘Madhyandra Pradesh’, symbolising the widespread liquor menace that has gripped every town and village. He said that belt shops and liquor outlets are mushrooming across highways and residential areas under official patronage. “At Lakshmipuram, the deceased (two-wheeler rider) purchased liquor from an illegal belt shop located near the national highway. Today, brandy shops are witnessing festival-like crowds while the state watches silently,” he said.

He accused TDP leaders and the excise minister of being complicit in the fake liquor trade, saying, “The same people who manufacture spurious liquor are selling it through their belt shops.” Mohan Reddy also warned that YSRCP will file defamation cases against those who have misled the public and framed innocent people with fabricated allegations. He demanded that the state’s excise minister be named as an accused in the ongoing probe into the Kurnool bus tragedy.

The YSRCP leader said that police investigations have already confirmed the sale of liquor through belt shops, which directly contributed to the death of at least 20 people.