PROMISE OF CHEAP BOOZE GETS AP BJP PRESIDENT INTO FIX

Andhra Pradesh BJP President Somu Veerraju has been trying very hard to make a name for himself in the state but has often been accused of going soft on his political rivals, in particular Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and his policies. To counter this public perception, Veerraju chose to tackle the controversial subject of liquor taxation and as a result seems to have gotten himself into quite the soup. The subject of cheap liquor is close to the heart of many politicians, who find that promising a reduction in price is the best way to attract the boozard vote bank, but the double-edged sword that the subject is can sometimes have negative ramifications when fidgeted with thoughtlessly. To Veerraju’s misfortune, his efforts at promising cheaper liquor to the vote bank in exchange for their votes, backfired with several groups attacking the politician on social media and the mainstream. Social activists too attacked the state BJP President, asking him if he can promise such a price drop for liquor why couldn’t he bring down the price of petrol and diesel in the same fashion instead? Even Telangana’s minister K.T. Rama Rao couldn’t help but take a potshot at Veerraju for his faux pas, shaming the man for his “cheap promise”. New to all this media attention and the consequences of fingering the hornet’s nest that is liquor policy, Veerraju reacted by hiding, choosing instead to get embroiled in another controversy, something he and his party have become extremely adept at. The truth, lost in all this political clamour, is that Veerraju’s promise to reduce liquor prices to `75 and `50 for a quarter bottle is quite possible to implement, if the heaviest taxes, close to `90 and `120 per quarter are brought down. Either ways, the BJP head honcho in AP is learning some important lessons, slowly but steadily and hopefully without indulging in some cheap liquor himself.