Vijayawada: Minister for prohibition and excise, mines and geology Kollu Ravindra said comprehensive investigation have been launched into irregularities in liquor sales and policy during the previous YSRCP administration. The minister announced that both the CBCID and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) are actively probing the matter.

The announcement came in response to questions from MLC P Ashok Babu in Legislative Council on Tuesday. Ashok Babu raised concerns about over 34,000 pending cases related to liquor sales, red sanders, and sand smuggling, and alleged that Rs 99,000 crore in non-duty paid liquor transactions occurred under the previous government. He questioned the government’s accounting practices and called for special courts to expedite case resolutions. The TDP member lamented that the accused are going to the jails and coming out on bail and repeating the same wrong things.

Minister Ravindra stated that the CBCID is investigating the non-duty paid liquor sales, while the SIT is focusing on broader liquor policy irregularities and allegations of forced distillery seizures during the YSRCP government. He accused the previous government of causing significant revenue losses through its liquor policies, including the promotion of ‘own brands.’

A point of contention arose when Ravindra alleged that files were burned at the Tadepalli palace (the former Chief Minister’s residence) on the day the SIT was formed. Leader of Opposition Botcha Satyanarayana vehemently denied the accusation and demanded the comment be removed from Council records.

Ravindra countered that the ‘Tadepalli palace’ refused to provide CCTV footage to investigators regarding the alleged ‘fire’. To this, Satyanarayana argued that it is wrong to seek CC TV footage from the personal residence of any person. He said the government can conduct the probe into the allegations that records were torched at Tadepalli palace.

Home minister Vangalapudi Anitha confirmed that the Guntur superintendent of police had requested the footage, which was denied.

Agriculture minister K Atchannaidu urged Jagan Mohan Reddy to cooperate with the investigation and provide the requested footage. Anitha reiterated the demand for the CCTV footage. Council chairman K Moshen Raju stated he would review the Council records.