A leaked report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the now-scrapped excise policy of the Delhi government flagged several “lapses” in the policy and claimed Rs 2,002.68 crore loss to the exchequer. This figure was put out for the first time to show the impact of the alleged liquor scam. The document of the government’s auditor that has exposed the liquor scam is named, “Report of the CAG on Performance Audit on Regulation and Supply of Liquor in Delhi.” The report has not been tabled in the Delhi Assembly so far. After the leak, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
According to a leaked report of the CAG on Performance Audit on Regulation and Supply of liquor in Delhi, some retailers surrendered their licenses before the policy expired, and the government did not re-tender them which led to the loss of Rs 890 crores. It said that the government made exemptions for zonal licensees, which caused a loss of Rs 941 crores. For the purpose of retail vends, Delhi was divided into 32 zones (containing 849 vends) whose licenses were granted to 22 entities through tendering. Whereas during the old policy, 377 retail vends were run by four Government Corporations and 262 retail vends were run by the private individuals. The report revealed a loss of revenue to the tune of Rs 144 crore owing to irregular grant of waiver on account of COVID-19 to zonal licenses. It also revealed that incorrect collection of security deposit from zonal licenses leading to loss of revenue of around Rs 27 crore.
Citing the leaked CAG report, BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Saturday claimed the Delhi Excise Policy scam is worth Rs 2,026 crore and accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of misleading Delhi residents. Thakur told a press conference the CAG report has arrived at 10 major findings about the policy, which was scrapped by the AAP government amid a row, asserting that former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will have to answer the questions it has raised. “He will have to say who pocketed rhe money,” Thakur said, alleging that Kejriwal is the kingpin of the scam.
BJP president J P Nadda claimed the CAG report has exposed intentional lapses, leading to a loss of Rs 2,026 crore to the exchequer.Nadda said on X, “Intoxicated by power, high on misgovernance. ‘AAP’DA model of loot in full display and that too on something like liquor.” He said it is just a matter of a few weeks before the AAP government is voted out and punished for its misdeeds.” The CAG Report on ‘Liquorgate’ exposes @ArvindKejriwal and @AamAadmiParty Gov. Intentional ‘Lapses’ in Policy Implementation. Rs 2026 Cr Loss to Exchequer money,” he alleged.
Asked about the BJP allegations, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, “Where is the report? The BJP itself keeps saying no CAG report has been tabled.” AAP leader Priyanka Kakkar on Saturday accused the BJP of fabricating false allegations against the Delhi government and dismissed the party’s claims about a CAG report as “manufactured and baseless.” Kakkar alleged during a press conference here that the report presented by the BJP was not authentic and had neither been seen by key stakeholders, including the chief minister and the LG, nor listed on the CAG’s official website.
“The report they are showing is fake and manufactured in their office. It holds no credibility. This is the same strategy the BJP uses repeatedly to mislead people with false allegations,” Kakkar said.Referring to previous allegations levelled by the BJP, including those in the liquor policy case, Kakkar claimed even the Supreme Court had dismissed their claims as baseless.
The damning findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Girish Chandra Murmu, over the AAP government’s controversial liquor policy come as a big setback to the ruling AAP ahead of the February 5 Assembly elections, giving fresh ammunition to the Opposition BJP and the Congress who have dubbed the scam “Liquorgate”. The explosive findings reveal serious violations, including lack of transparency in pricing, improper issuance and renewal of licences, failure to penalize violators, and the government’s failure to seek approval from the Lieutenant Governor (LG), cabinet, or the assembly. It also mentions that the policy by then ex-CM Arvind Kejriwal failed to achieve its intended goals and alleged that AAP leaders benefitted from kickbacks.
The report noted, “There was lack of scrutiny of the business entities with regards to their financial wherewithal and management expertise. Instances of related business entities holding licences across the liquor supply chain were noticed.”
“Liquor supply data indicates exclusivity arrangements between zonal licencees and wholesalers and Brand Pushing. Surrender of zonal licences during the extended policy period further led to substantial revenue loss. Other important measures which were planned in the policy, like setting up of laboratories and batch testing for quality assurance, setting up of super premium vends etc., were not implemented,” it said.
“Responsibility and accountability should be fixed for the lapses observed and the enforcement mechanism should be strengthened,” said Murmu in his final recommendation in the report for the year ended March 31, 2022. The report was also signed by Principal Accountant General (Audit), Delhi, Aman Deep Chatha.
