Illicit liquor claimed one more life, and will Jagan call this too natural, asks Lokesh

‘Chief Minister should resign for misleading Assembly on liquor deaths in Jangareddygudem’

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national general secretary N. Lokesh on Wednesday referred to “one more death” of a resident of Jangareddygudem in West Godavari district, and wondered if Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy would term this too as natural.

Addressing the media, Mr. Lokesh said the wife of the victim had clearly said that her husband, Varadarajulu, had fallen ill after consuming illicit liquor and died while undergoing treatment in Guntur General Hospital.

Mr. Lokesh said the ruling party leaders had contradictory views on the “hooch tragedy.” While the Chief Minister called all the fatalities as natural, a Minister said four to five deaths were due to consumption of illicit liquor.

The TDP leader demanded that the Chief Minister resign to his post for “misleading the Assembly and betraying the people of the State.”

He said the TDP would not give up till the government met its demand for payment of ₹25 lakh ex gratia to the next of kin of each of the 26 “hooch victims” and ordered a judicial probe to bring the facts out.

Referring to the death of a tribal girl student of Maredumilli residential school in East Godavari district, Mr. Lokesh said the government failed to protect the girl.

In a statement, Mr. Lokesh, who is also a Member of the Legislative Council, said that the Class 10 student, Sumitra, a native of Chakkawada village in Chavadikota panchayat, had died in the lap of her mother on the roadside.