BJP alleges ‘wine scam’ link after liquor raid on Congress leader’s home in Udupi

Karnataka BJP found fresh ammunition to attack the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government following a major liquor raid in Udupi. This raid uncovered over Rs 50 lakh worth of whiskey at the home of Avinash Malli Shetty, a district Congress leader and director of the Bola Cooperative Society.
The raid was conducted by Udupi’s Excise District Commissioner range, which led to the seizure of a substantial cache of whiskey, with Shetty now reportedly absconding. The BJP Karnataka shared the news on X, alleging that the raid’s findings may connect to the larger “wine scam” in the state.
The tweet from BJP’s official handle on X, read, “Whiskey worth 70 lakh found at a Congress leader’s house in Udupi! If this is just one Congress leader, how much are others hiding? The excise scam is way beyond 700 crores. How much more money does Karnataka need to fund for Maharashtra elections, Mr. Balak Buddi @RahulGandhi? Please answer, Daro Mat.”
The BJP used the hashtag #Scamgress, demanding accountability from Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi.
The incident has reignited BJP’s accusations of corruption within the Karnataka Congress-led administration, particularly in the state’s excise department. This follows previous allegations by the Karnataka Wine Merchants’ Association, which accused the department, including Minister RB Thimmapur, of accepting bribes for bar licences and excise transfers. The association alleged that roughly 1,000 illegal licences were granted over the past year, purportedly amassing bribes of up to Rs 70 lakh per licence, potentially pushing corruption totals to nearly Rs 700 crore.
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a Maharashtra campaign, said that excise revenue from Karnataka is being redirected for electoral use outside the state. He implied that funds may be used to support bypoll campaigns in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, heightening BJP’s claims that Karnataka’s Congress leaders are misappropriating funds for political gain.
Following this, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said that he would quit politics if Prime Minister Narendra Modi proved his allegation that the Congress collected Rs 700 crore from liquor shop owners in the state to fund the party’s poll campaign in Maharashtra.
Siddaramaiah dismissed the accusations as politically motivated and also called on the Prime Minister to step down from politics if the claims were proved false. The Chief Minister said PM Modi’s comments were an attempt to distract voters from real issues and the failures of the BJP. He accused the ruling party of resorting to personal attacks in an attempt to regain influence in Karnataka.