TD state president to CS: Maintain transparency in liquor sales in AP

Vijayawada: Expressing serious concern over the sudden removal of liquor sales data from online platforms, Telugu Desam’s Andhra Pradesh state president and MLA, Kinjarapu Atchannaidu, shot off a letter to the chief secretary, on Wednesday, highlighting lack of transparency and accountability within the governance framework.

Raising doubts over the abrupt removal of liquor sales data from online platforms, Atchannaidu said that this might have been done to avoid scrutiny from the Election Commission of India (ECI) as the elections were around or to “fudge” the data with a purpose to “circumvent” legal scrutiny.

Atchannaidu urged officials to stick to the rule of law and resist any undue pressure from political figures. He called for the immediate release of all pertinent information related to online liquor sales, which will help in reinforcing the significance of transparency and accountability in governance as well as betterment of democracy.

Atchannaidu further alleged that the YSRC-led government has been destroying the good governance model established by the former TD government. He said, “As it is known to everybody, when the entire country is embracing digital payments mode for greater transparency, liquor sales in Andhra Pradesh are being done only through cash.”