VIJAYAWADA: Excise minister Kollu Ravindra has justified the arrest of former YSRC minister Jogi Ramesh in the spurious liquor case.
“Excise sleuths have arrested Jogi Ramesh only after getting all the requisite evidence,” the minister told mediapersons at a press conference in the TDP head office at Mangalagiri in Vijayawada on Monday.
Kollu Ravindra said that Accused No. 1 in the case, Janardhana Rao, has given a statement on how the former minister conspired with the manufacturer of spurious liquor.
The Excise minister charged that nearly 30,000 people had died after consuming spurious liquor during the previous YSR Congress’ rule, while thousands are still suffering with kidney and liver ailments, and undergoing medical treatment in various hospitals of the state.
Kollu Ravindra explained that former minister Jogi Ramesh and Janardhana Rao had been involved in liquor business since 2006. Initially, they set up a bar together. They later changed it into a bar and restaurant. The excise minister detailed how Jogi Ramesh and Janardhana Rao developed their liquor business using a syndicate and getting into the spurious liquor business.
The Excise minister revealed that the former minister’s younger brother Jogi Ramu also became a partner in the spurious liquor business. Kollu Ravindra maintained that this information is as per Janardhana Rao’s confession made before the Excise authorities.
Turning to YSRC’s allegations, including by former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy that the arrest of Jogi Ramesh is an act of vengeance, the Excise minister said, “We arrested the main accused Janardhana Rao on October 10. We could have arrested the former minister also when the main accused made his confession to the Excise sleuths. But they carried out an inquiry and arrested Jogi Ramesh only after getting all the evidence.”
Kollu Ravindra slammed YSRC leaders for bringing up caste in the arrest of the former minister.
The Excise minister wondered how Jogi Ramesh could take an oath on BCs even as the previous government troubled the backward classes a lot by implicating several BC leaders in false cases.
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