Andhra Politics on Fire After Jogi Ramesh’s Arrest in Liquor Scam: YSRCP Blames TDP for ‘Framing’

Key Points:

Andhra Pradesh is witnessing a political storm following the arrest of YSRCP leader and former Minister Jogi Ramesh in connection with an adulterated liquor case. He was taken into custody on 2nd November 2025 from his residence in the NTR district by a joint team of the Excise Department, Special Investigation Team (SIT), and local police.

The key accused, Addepalli Janardhana Rao, reportedly alleged that Ramesh directed and financed an illegal liquor manufacturing racket, which led to Ramesh’s arrest. The YSRCP described the arrest as an attempt to harass the party and Ramesh. However, the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) denied the allegations, calling it the natural course of law without any political intervention.

There was a state-wide investigation into the production and sale of adulterated liquor after several health hazards came to light. Jogi Ramesh was named by the prime accused, Janardhana Rao, who alleged that Ramesh had encouraged him to resume illegal liquor production and had promised ₹3 crore for setting up a distillery in Africa. It was found that the racket was active across parts of Annamayya and NTR districts and may have begun when Ramesh was still a minister in 2023.

See Also: Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam Explained : How Politician-Bureaucrat- Drug Mafia Nexus Sucked Out The State's Money To Fill Their Personal Coffers

Reports suggest that a search was conducted at Ramesh’s house by SIT officers, who seized mobile phones and CCTV footage as part of the probe following the allegations. Ramesh and his brother, Jogi Ramu, were named in the case as accused, as confirmed by the police. All the allegations were termed “fabricated” and “politically motivated” by Ramesh, who accused the TDP of targeting him and his party. He also believed that his detention was triggered by the petition he had filed in the Andhra Pradesh High Court just a day before his arrest, seeking a CBI inquiry into the liquor case.

Jogi Ramesh had been under scrutiny even earlier, as his family faced accusations regarding irregularities in land transactions that were previously seized by the CID, according to investigators. A raid was conducted at his residence in Ibrahimpatnam by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which led to his son Jogi Rajeev’s arrest for his alleged connection to the Agri Gold land scam.

The arrest quickly escalated into a major political confrontation. YSRCP leaders accused the ruling TDP of orchestrating the entire episode to discredit the opposition. They further alleged that the arrest was a deliberate attempt to divert attention from the main issues. They said, “The main accused in the liquor case belong to the TDP, yet none of them have been touched. Instead, an innocent leader has been targeted based on a forced statement.”

See Also: Jharkhand Liquor Scam: ACB arrests seven accused from Maharashtra, Gujarat

Ramesh also directly challenged Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his son Nara Lokesh to undergo a lie-detector test as he addressed the media following his arrest. He added, “I am ready to hand over my phones for forensic examination.”

However, the TDP rejected all such claims, stating that it was a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the investigation. They revealed that several other members of the YSRCP had already been arrested in connection with the same case. The party assured, “The law will take its own course regardless of political colour.”

Ramesh and his brother have been placed under judicial custody until 13th November 2025. Meanwhile, the SIT will continue verifying the claims made by the accused while analysing digital evidence such as mobile phone data and CCTV footage. At the same time, it is expected that the YSRCP will intensify its protests and push for the CBI to take over the investigation. [Rh]

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