The Andhra Pradesh liquor scam has taken a serious political turn, with the Congress party now launching scathing allegations against Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and his wife, Y.S. Bharathi. Following the arrest of YSRCP MP P.V. Mithun Reddy, Congress in-charge for Andhra Pradesh, Manickam Tagore, issued a strong statement on social media, calling Mithun Reddy merely a “pawn” in a much larger conspiracy.
Tagore alleged that Jagan and Bharathi are the true masterminds behind what he termed a well-orchestrated “top-down operation”, not a spontaneous act of corruption, but a meticulously planned scam. He accused the Andhra Pradesh government, under Jagan’s leadership, of running a liquor mafia that has devastated nearly one crore poor families across the state.
According to Tagore, the scam involved every aspect of the liquor trade from manufacturing and distribution to bribes, shell companies, and the laundering of black money. Fake invoices and manipulated contracts were used to channel illegal commissions. Shell companies were reportedly set up in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Visakhapatnam to facilitate money laundering, he said. These companies were allegedly presented as logistics or warehouse service providers to legitimize black money as operational expenses.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case estimates that over ₹3,200 crore was diverted between 2020 and 2024. A significant portion of these funds was allegedly used to finance the YSRCP’s 2024 election campaign, including cash handouts in constituencies, free liquor distribution, voter bribery, and booth-level management.
Tagore stated that Mithun Reddy acted as the chief operator, coordinating between the excise department and political offices to keep the network running smoothly.
“This isn’t Jagan’s first scam,” Tagore added, pointing to the ₹43,000 crore illegal assets case filed by the CBI, in which Jagan is the prime accused. He recalled that Jagan had spent over 16 months in jail in connection with those charges back in 2012. “Corruption isn’t new to Jagan; it’s his way of functioning,” Tagore said.
He also criticised the BJP for not speaking out against the scale of the liquor scam in Andhra Pradesh, but stressed that the Congress party is taking the matter very seriously and will continue to raise the issue nationally.
