Activists of Telugu Desam Party(TDP) staged a demonstration in front of a State-run liquor shop at Kanigiri in Prakasam district on Saturday in protest against the “anti-people” liquor policy of the YSR Congress government.
Raising slogans against the revenue-driven excise policy, the activists, led by party Ongole Lok Sabha unit’s women’s wing’s official spokesperson Karnam Aruna, took out a protest march on the main roads of Ongole.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who came to power by promising to introduce prohibition in the State, had dashed the hopes of women by going back on his word, Ms. Aruna charged.
“What happened to the Chief Minister’s promise of implementing prohibition in phases, announced after coming to power?” asked party’s women State Executive member K. Subhashini.
Instead of bringing down the number of liquor shops by 20% in each year as promised, the government decided to open new bars. The agitators broke down liquor bottles as a mark of protest. They accused the government of ruining the health of people and demanded the cancellation of tenders floated for new liquor shops.
