BRS exposes Congress over approval to Som Distilleries

The party slammed the Congress-led government in the State for putting lives of people at stake for the financial gain of the ruling party and its leaders.

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi has exposed a possible scam in the liquor sale approvals in the State and has raised objections to the State government granting permissions to Som Distilleries, a company previously accused of numerous violations, including the sale of illicit liquor, in other States. The party slammed the Congress-led government in the State for putting lives of people at stake for the financial gain of the ruling party and its leaders.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan here on Monday, BRS leader Krishank Manne said Som Distilleries had a dark history of illicit liquor sales which led to the death of 65 persons in Madhya Pradesh following which the officials seized their manufacturing units in the State. “Today, the Congress government in Telangana gave permissions to Som Distilleries, despite their involvement in numerous cases of selling illicit liquor. This same company has also donated money to the Congress party, as mentioned on the Election Commission website,” he said.

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Krishank said the Congress government, particularly Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, was being dishonest about the approvals for sale of new liquor brands in the State. “Just four days ago, the Minister claimed that no new liquor brands were permitted, which has turned out to be an utter lie. He even threatened a Rs 100 crore defamation suit against a media house which reported about the State government approving sale of new liquor brands in the State,” he added.

Sharing the details released by the company to the National Stock Exchange, the BRS leader said Som Distilleries was planning to launch new beer brands in Telangana, a move facilitated by alleged corruption involving Congress leaders. He said the company was permitted to sell its brands in exchange for its financial support given to the Congress and its leaders. “In 2019, Som Distilleries donated Rs 1.31 crore to the Congress Party, and Rs 25 lakh in 2013-14. While the previous BRS regime strictly prohibited such liquor brands, the Congress reopened the doors to them,” he stated.

Highlighting the company’s troubled history, Krishank pointed out that Som Distilleries was implicated in the deaths of 65 people in Madhya Pradesh and faced multiple raids and seizures there. He questioned whether Jupally Krishna Rao and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy were aware of the company’s tarnished reputation and still chose to permit its operations in Telangana.