Minister for Excise Jupally Krishna Rao today accused a Telugu daily newspaper, Namaste Telangana, of publishing lies against the State government, especially the excise department.
Speaking at a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, Rao alleged that the Telugu daily, which was affiliated to the opposition party BRS, was deliberately indulging in a mudslinging campaign against the Congress government and publishing lies.
"The policies are decided in the Cabinet meeting. The government works according to the policies and no one has a right to take his own decision. But Namaste Telangana is trying to malign the image of the government by publishing false reports," the minister said.
"There are 19 liquor depots which have enough stocks of all brands. There is a shortage of beer as some dues have been pending for some time. However, there is no loss to the State government," the minister said.
He said that the excise department would file a defamation suit against Namaste Telangana for "false reports".
He also claimed that the previous government did not pay the dues, but the Congress government was clearing all the bills one by one.
He added that the State government was yet to take any decision on the new liquor policy.