It has been just 10 days since Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu took over the reins of the government in the state.
He has not even held his first cabinet meeting to discuss issues pertaining to the state.
Although Naidu does not want to give the impression that he is acting vengefully against former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy so quickly, his party leaders are not keeping quiet. They are claiming that YSRCP leaders who indulged in massive corruption will be held accountable.
Naidu now appears to be under tremendous pressure to order a probe into the alleged irregularities that took place during Jagan Mohan Reddy’s regime.
On Friday, his alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party, demanded an immediate probe into the alleged corruption by YSRCP leaders, particularly in the sand and liquor trade.
BJP state president and Rajahmundry MP Daggubati Purandeswari met with Naidu and submitted a memorandum seeking a comprehensive probe into the sand and liquor mafia activities during the Jagan regime.
She stated that several people had lost their lives due to cheap and adulterated liquor in the last five years. While official figures indicate that the state earned Rs 33,000 crore from liquor sales each year, the actual sales were much higher.
“There is a 400-500 percent discrepancy between purchases and sales, and the difference in revenue was pocketed by the YSRCP leaders,” Purandeswari said.
She also asked for the implementation of 100 percent digital payments for liquor sales and the establishment of de-addiction centers.
The BJP state president also requested a detailed probe into the sand policy adopted by the previous government, which resulted in a loss of revenue to the state exchequer. She called for the implementation of an online billing system for sand sales.
Purandeswari further suggested setting up coordination committees comprising leaders of all three parties in the alliance at the constituency level to ensure the smooth functioning of the alliance.