TDP will seek discussion on ‘A.P. liquor scam’ in Parliament, says MP Sri Krishna Devarayalu

TDP Parliamentary Party Chairman Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said on Sunday that the Andhra Pradesh liquor scam, in which YSRCP’s Rajampet MP P.V. Midhun Reddy was arrested and sent to judicial remand, should be discussed during the 21-day monsoon session of the Parliament commencing on July 21, in view of its magnitude and the impact on the public exchequer.

Addressing the media after participating in the all-party meeting held in New Delhi, Mr. Krishna Devarayalu said the Parliament had come to a standstill following an intense debate on the fodder scam, which ran into about ₹100 crore, and obviously the liquor scam in Andhra Pradesh, which was far bigger in scale involving more than ₹3,000 crore, warranted a serious discussion.

Moreover, large-scale money laundering allegedly took place in the conduct of the liquor business during the YSRCP rule, he said.

As regards the all-party meeting, he said that he suggested that the Parliament should have deliberations on the Pradhan Mantri Dhan – Dhaanya Krishi Yojana. The scheme would help in mitigating the crisis faced by the mango and tobacco farmers in Andhra Pradesh by supplementing the market intervention measures taken by the State government. It provided scope for the State to mobilise Central financial support, he observed.

JJM funds

Mr. Krishna Devarayalu said the TDP MPs would raise the issue of allocation of funds to Andhra Pradesh under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), under which about ₹24,000 crore were given to the State in 2019-24, but to no avail as only an expenditure of ₹2,000 crore was accounted for.

Also, he emphasised the need for a discussion on the inter-linking of rivers, like the proposed linking of the Godavari, the Krishna and the Penna, insisting that they would provide irrigation facilities to huge tracts of agricultural lands and solve the drinking water problem.

Further, Mr. Krishna Devarayalu said the TDP MPs would seek extension of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to more sectors in order to spur economic growth by generating employment. It was a successful scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a key component of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, he said.