Mopidevi Must Quit: Lok Satta

The Lok Satta Party, on Wednesday, demanded that Excise Minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana - who faces charges of accepting a bribe from a liquor dealer - resign immediately, accepting moral responsibility, and face an ACB inquiry.

The party also wanted the government to suspend all officials whose names figure in the ACB report as bribe-takers.

Similarly, media managements must act against their employees who are found guilty in the liquor scandal, the party said. Legislators facing charges must cooperate with the inquiry without distracting it, it added.

The Lok Satta Party spelt out its stand on the liquor scam unearthed by the Anti Corruption Bureau, at a media conference addressed by Working President D V V S Varma and other leaders.

The ACB raids have revealed, said the Lok Satta leaders, that all "sampradaya rajakiya - sara" (traditional political) parties, including the Congress and the Telugu Desam, have been guilty of turning Andhra Pradesh into a "Madyandhrapradesh" by being partners to the liquor trade and in forming liquor syndicates.

Although the players in the liquor trade belong to different parties, they are hand-in-glove with one other, they said. Traditional political parties have been fielding liquor traders as their candidates in elections.

The Lok Satta leaders demanded that Left parties, which call for curbs on liquor consumption, must explain how they could accept donations from liquor dealers who have been fleecing people by way of illegal outlets and selling liquor above the maximum retail price.

Political parties that have colluded with liquor syndicates should openly apologize to the public, the Lok Satta said.

The Lok Satta leaders said the government has spawned and nurtured corruption by auctioning liquor outlets to the highest bidders. The licensees, in turn, promoted belt shops and sold liquor over and above the maximum retail price, they said.

They demanded that the government take over the retail liquor trade, limit the number of shops and sales timings, and also make the ACB autonomous and bring it under the Lokayukta's purview.

In reply to a question, Varma asserted that the party would expel anyone found guilty of accepting donations from the liquor lobby. (INN)