Liquor price hike: Harish Rao hits out Congress government

Former Minister and BRS senior MLA T Harish Rao came down heavily on the Congress government over the steep hike in liquor prices. He charged the Congress for deceiving the people of Telangana

Hyderabad: Former Minister and BRS senior MLA T Harish Rao came down heavily on the Congress government over the steep hike in liquor prices. He charged the Congress with deceiving the people of Telangana, without implementing its poll promise to eradicate belt shops and derailing Telangana’s welfare priorities.

In a statement, Harish Rao questioned whether Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy intended to run the State on beers and bars, while leaving governance in the lurch. He said the only department receiving full attention from the Congress regime was the Excise department, with the government focused on boosting liquor sales to fill empty coffers.

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“Is this the ‘Telangana Rising’ you promised? Raising beer prices by 15 per cent and now hiking liquor rates, imposing additional burden on people?” he asked, adding that the government’s push for increased liquor sales exposed its true colours.

The BRS leader slammed the Congress for failing to implement its own manifesto promises, including reviewing the excise policy and abolishing belt shops. Instead, he said the government was encouraging excessive liquor consumption, even proposing micro-breweries every 30 km. He warned that such policies could endanger the youth, burden families, and turn Telangana into a State of drunkards.

“The Congress government promised the Moon before the elections, but soon after winning, it discontinued existing welfare schemes and failed to deliver its poll promises. How long does this government plans to loot its citizens and ruin the State,” he questioned.