AP govt may ban liquor before polls: Dy Speaker

Vishakapatnam: Deputy Speaker and Vizianagaram MLA Kolagatla Veerabhadra Swamy said in a sensational statement on Sunday that liquor might be banned in the state before the next elections.

“We suffered revenue losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Yet, the government is thinking of a ban on liquor. If the government takes a decision, all urban areas have to bring down such shop shutters,’’ the deputy speaker said.

Talking to this correspondent, Veerabhadra Swamy said the YSRC promised in the last poll manifesto that liquor would be banned in phases. All the belt shops across the state were banned. These had been set up during the TD term, he said.

“The government is committed to a total ban on liquor. As a deputy Speaker, I cannot take a decision but I am sure the government is thinking on these lines,’’ Veerabhadra Swamy said.

When asked about the huge revenue loss thereof, the deputy Speaker said at times difficult decisions have to be taken.

The state government has planned to generate a revenue of R s16,500 crore through the Excise department in the 2022-23 fiscal. The opposition criticised the government for making a U-turn from its promise to impose total prohibition. The promise was first made by chief minister Jagan Reddy during his padayatra in 2019.