BRS demands judicial probe into Som Distilleries liquor scam

In response to the Minister's claims denying knowledge of approvals to Som Distilleries, BRS leader Krishank Manne issued a statement questioning why the Minister was supporting a liquor company which is facing serious charges of supplying adulterated liquor in Madhya Pradesh

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Wednesday ridiculed the claims of Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao that approvals to Som Distilleries were granted by the Telangana State Beverages Corporation Limited (TGSBCL) and he had no role in it. The party termed his statement as irresponsible.

In response to the Minister’s claims denying knowledge of approvals to Som Distilleries, BRS leader Krishank Manne issued a statement questioning why the Minister was supporting a liquor company which is facing serious charges of supplying adulterated liquor in Madhya Pradesh, leading to the death of 24 individuals in February this year. He demanded to know how the authorities allowed such a company without verifying its history.

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“Minister Jupally Krishna Rao initially warned to file Rs 100 crore law suit against a media house for exposing the unlawful approvals to Som Distilleries. After the BRS released evidence, he admitted to approvals, but claimed that he had no prior knowledge. Further, he went on to praise the company which is involved in adulterated liquor supply. This is absurd,” he said.

Krishank stated that the State government was putting the lives of people in Telangana at risk, by giving permissions to Som Distilleries whose chairman Jagadish Arora was arrested in connection with the adulterated liquor case in Madhya Pradesh. He demanded the State government to immediately cancel the approvals to Som Distilleries and appoint a judicial commission into the entire issue.

“Minister Jupally Krishna Rao should be expelled from the Cabinet as we suspect that he could influence the investigation, failing which we have assumed that even Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is involved in the liquor scam,” he added.