Belt-shops-JaganYS Jagan Mohan Reddy repeatedly claims that there are no belt shops in his administration. But Former Chairman of the Liquor Prohibition Committee V. Lakshman Reddy says that it is not true.

He said that the number of belt shops in the state increased after YSR Congress came to power. He added that there are currently two lakh belt shops in the state.

He spoke at the ‘State Sponsored Terrorism – Save the Democracy’ roundtable meeting organized in Vijayawada on Tuesday.

“I took the post of chairman of the Madhyamivochana Committee for to prohibition of alcohol as a part of Navaratnalu. But liquor is bought from government shops and sold in different ways in the villages. Belt shops have increased more than before and there are seven to ten shops in each village,” Lakshman Reddy said.

If there are belt shops even when the Government is running the Liquor shops, it is horrendous and is nothing but corruption and misuse of power.

Liquor prohibition is already gone. The state government is thriving on liquor income and if belt shops are more than before, how do we call this new Prohibition?