City Telugu Desam Party leaders on Wednesday staged a novel protest in front of Excise Commissioner's office at Nampally.
Led by former Mayor Teegala Krishna Reddy, about a 100 TDP activists marched up to the Excise Commissioner's office and shouted slogans against the Excise Department and the Congress government.
The protestors displayed placards with the slogans, "Congress Party Liquor and Bisleri Company Limited".
Some of the placards displayed the portrait of Chief Minister K Rosaiah garlanded by empty beer bottles.
Another slogan read, 'public welfare schemes nakko, Beer, Whiskey aur Bar chahiye humko' ("we want not public welfare schemes, but only beer, whiskey and bars).
One of the TDP activists filled empty beer bottles with water and distributed it to passersby, saying that "very soon you will not get water but only beer."
Talking to media persons later, Krishna Reddy said that that the TDP is not demanding total prohibition, but a curb on belt shops. He said that every license given to set up a wine shop results in the setting up of 15-20 belt shops using this license.
He demanded that the government take steps to shut down these belt shops immediately.
The former Mayor demanded that the government should ensure that consumers do not treat belt shops or wine shops as open bars, as they are currently. He said that things have come to a stage wherein people are buying liquor and starting to drink right in front of the liquor outlets.
Krishna Reddy said that the TDP will continue to protest till the government controls the rampant spread of belt shops.