Press Releases Archive

The Lok Satta Party today demanded that the Andhra Pradesh Government enact a law to curb manufacture and sale of spurious liquor, arrack and ‘gudumba’ like the Gujarat Government.

It may be recalled that the Gujarat Government has amended the Prohibition law providing for seven to ten years of imprisonment for those found guilty of spurious liquor manufacture, transport, storage and sales. It the spurious liquor results in any death, the guilty will attract death penalty.

Talking to the media, party spokesman Katari Srinivasa Rao and Mahila Satta State Convener S. Saroja Devi pointed out that the Andhra Pradesh Government viewed liquor as a source of revenue and encouraging its consumption. “The Government is expected to earn an income of at least Rs.10,500 crore by way of excise duty, sales tax and other fees during the current financial year. The people will be spending not less than Rs.15,000 crore on liquor consumption.”

The Lok Satta leaders pointed out that already 70 lakh families have been ruined by the liquor evil. The Government liquor policy under which the shops are auctioned to highest bidders will result in proliferation of unauthorized outlets (belt shops). “People are already going without nutritious food in the wake of the escalation in the prices of essential commodities including pulses. If they fall victim to the liquor menace, their health will be in ruin.”

The Lok Satta wanted the Government to halt liquor shop auctions. Instead, the Government itself should run the business through limited outlets.

The Lok Satta said, the High Court order on GHMC elections vindicated the party’s stand that the reservations were done irrationally.

The Lok Satta Party has proposed that the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, convene a meeting of all Opposition floor leaders in the Assembly to finalize the draft Bill to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The party has suggested that the draft Bill could be revised on the basis of suggestions from all parties and that the combined Opposition move it as a private Bill in the Assembly if the Government does not come forward to introduce it.

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan in a letter to Mr. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, recalled that the PRP, TRS, CPI, CPM and BJP, which took part in an all-party meeting the Lok Satta Party convened on July 22 had supported draft Bill but wanted a week’s time to come up with specific changes.

One suggestion that emerged at the meeting was that the burden of proof in all cases of corruption remain with the prosecution and not be shifted to the accused as proposed in the draft Bill.

Enclosing the draft Bill and the letter he had written to the Chief Minister, Dr. JP pointed out that the Bill specifically envisages a key role to the Leader of the Opposition in all appointments of senior officials of the Anti Corruption Bureau.

Dr. JP said in his letter, “As the main Opposition party, I urge the Telugu Desam Party to examine the Bill in the light of the urgency and importance of taking firm and concrete steps to curb corruption.”

Dr. JP also pointed out he had asked the Legislative Assembly Secretary to whom he had sent the original draft Bill to withhold further action facilitating collective action by the Opposition.