Is cheap liquor BJP's policy? KTR ridicules AP leader's stand

Hyderabad: Municipal Administration and IT Minister K T Rama Rao on Wednesday ridiculed the AP BJP president Somu Veerraju on cheap liquor comments. KTR tweeted 'Wah what a scheme... What a shame!

The Minister asked the BJP leadership to clarify whether they would frame a national policy to offer cheap liquor in all States or those States where they want to come to power. "Is the BJP seeks to give cheap liquor to come to power," he asked. On his Twitter handle, KTR said the BJP in AP seems to lure people with cheap liquor at Rs 50.

His remarks came at a time when Verraju reportedly said that the party would offer liquor at Rs 50 on coming to power. KTR asked whether the BJP national policy was to offer cheap liquor at Rs 50 in the BJP 'Janagraha' meeting held at Vijayawada on Tuesday addressed by former Union Minister and BJP national leader Prakash Javadekar.

The BJP leader charged that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was looting people in the name of liquor sale and prohibition. "If voted to power, the BJP will offer cheap liquor at Rs 70 and if income rises, it will be made available at Rs 50," the BJP leader said, inviting criticism from the Telugu Desam and KTR.

Javadekar accused the YSRCP government of cheating people on liquor sales. Veerraju said that the Jagan government was giving some amount to the poor by looting Rs 12,000 crore a year through liquor sale. He said that about one crore people taking liquor in AP should vote the BJP to power and get cheap liquor at Rs 50.

Reacting to this, KTR sought to know whether cheap liquor sale was the national agenda of the BJP. He said, "Wah what a scheme? What a shame. AP BJP stoops to a new low," he quipped. "National BJP policy to supply cheap liquor at Rs 50 or this bumper offer is only to States where the desperation is high, KTR asked, wanting to know whether the BJP plans to sell cheap liquor in the States where it wants to come to power or across the country.