The Andhra Pradesh Excise Department arrested former minister Jogi Ramesh in connection with an adulterated liquor case. Along with him, his brother Jogi Ramu and close aide Arepalli Ramu were also taken into custody. The main accused, Addepalli Janardhana Rao, told the police that he produced the adulterated liquor under Jogi Ramesh’s instructions. After collecting sufficient evidence, the police arrested all involved.
Soon after the arrest, high drama unfolded. As seen in earlier arrests of YSR Congress leaders, Jogi Ramesh’s wife, daughter, and son came out onto the road, creating a public scene to gain sympathy. Videos of the family’s emotional outburst were circulated online by YSR Congress social media teams. The party’s official handle posted a clip of Jogi’s daughter crying with a caption targeting Chandrababu Naidu, along with hashtags attacking the ruling TDP.
But the real question remains: will people truly feel sympathy for a politician arrested in a liquor scam? It’s worth asking whether this same logic applied when Jagan Mohan Reddy arrested Chandrababu Naidu, who was in his seventies. The YSR Congress’s attempt to use caste and emotional ploys again seems outdated and disconnected from current public sentiment.
Bringing caste into corruption cases is an insult to the very communities being referenced. The remand report submitted by excise and SIT officials stated that the fake liquor racket caused a loss of Rs 9 crore to the government. Jogi Ramesh and his associates were produced before the Vijayawada excise court at 11 p.m. on Sunday. The investigation into the racket continues.
