Thaindian News

Hyderabad, Feb 8 (IANS) Under pressure to quit over bribery allegations, Andhra Pradesh Excise Minister Mopidevi Venkataramna Wednesday said he was ready to face any probe but refused to resign.

The minister told reporters after meeting Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy that he was ready to face investigation by any agency.

“I will resign if the allegations against me are proved,” said Mopidevi, who is under pressure to resign following an allegation that he accepted a bribe of Rs.10 lakh from a liquor trader.

A day after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) mentioned his name in its report filed in a court here, the minister called on state Congress chief Botsa Satyanarayana and the chief minister.

Mopidevi also found fault with the ACB for including his name in the report.

“The ACB should have taken my version. It is not proper to mention my name on the basis of a vague statement by a person with criminal background,” he said.

He claimed that baseless allegations were made against him as he was taking acting tough against liquor syndicates.

Mopidevi is under pressure from opposition parties to resign. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Left parties and Lok Satta demanded his resignation.

They staged protest demonstrations in different parts of the state, asking him to resign.

Nunna Venkataramna, a liquor trader who runs liquor syndicates in Warangal and Khammam districts, told the ACB that he paid Rs.10 lakh to the minister.

According to the ACB report filed to seek Nunna’s custody, he also revealed that regular bribes were paid to politicians of various parties, excise officials and journalists.

This, he said, was done so that liquor is sold above the maximum retail price and to commit other irregularities.

The trader, arrested during raids on the liquor mafia, also alleged that bribes were paid to two legislators of the Congress and TDP and leaders of CPI-M, CPI-ML New Democracy, BJP and TRS.

He named all the leaders in his confession.

The liquor syndicate leader made the sensational disclosure that he personally handed over money to the minister at his residence in Hyderabad in the presence of a classmate of the minister.

Nunna was a constable in the railway police in Warangal when he was removed from his job for allegedly selling ganja. He then started a liquor business.

Though he failed to get a license due to cases pending against him, he emerged as a key lobby leader in the two districts.

According to the ACB, he has stakes in 29 liquor shops and is involved with 10 liquor syndicates. He is also believed to have influence over 80 liquor shops.

The liquor scam came to light in December when the ACB seized Rs.3.62 lakh paid by liquor dealers to excise officials.

The disclosure is likely to cause a political storm ahead of the budget session of the legislature beginning Feb 13.

The opposition has been asking the government to make public details of the ACB raids on liquor syndicates across the state. The ACB has conducted raids in several districts in the last two months.