The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report presented in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday sparked a fresh war of words between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP.  While AAP stood firm in support of the discontinued new liquor policy, the BJP asserted that the report demonstrated how AAP had deceived and defrauded Delhi residents. The BJP has alleged that the CAG reports will reveal the 'black deeds' of the previous AAP government in the national capital.

Addressing a press conference, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, MP Manoj Tiwari, and Praveen Khandelwal welcomed the presentation of the CAG report in the Delhi Assembly, alleging that AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal acted as a "middleman for the liquor lobby" while senior AAP leader and Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Atishi defended the previous AAP government's now-scrapped excise policy, citing a CAG report to claim that the old policy was marred by corruption and smuggling.

The Delhi BJP chief said the report has exposed the "loot, corruption, and deception" of the previous AAP government over the past decade.  He alleged the Kejriwal administration had been deliberately withholding the report to conceal financial irregularities. But with its release, the truth is now out in the open, Sachdeva said.  "The public of Delhi was waiting for the CAG report to know how Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia were involved in corruption under the excise policy," he stated.

Sachdeva alleged that mismanagement led to additional losses, including `941.53 Crore due to the non-opening of liquor shops in non-conforming wards, `890 Crore from the failure to re-tender surrendered licenses, `144 Crore waived for zonal licensees under the pretext of COVID-19 relief, and Rs 27 Crore lost due to improper security deposit collection.

A performance audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on the regulation and supply of liquor in the national capital has showed lapses in the functioning of the excise department and its policy, leading to revenue losses exceeding `2,026.91 Crore.  The CAG report was tabled during the first session of the newly-elected Delhi Assembly on Tuesday.

Earlier Atishi accused the BJP-appointed lieutenant governor (LG), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of obstructing the implementation of the new liquor policy, causing an annual revenue loss of `8,900 Crore to Delhi.

Atishi said seven out of the eight chapters in the CAG report highlight the shortcomings of the old excise policy, while only one focuses on the new policy.

"The AAP government always raised concerns about corruption in the old excise policy, which facilitated illegal liquor smuggling.

The report shows that liquor shop owners engaged in corrupt practices, inflating prices and causing heavy losses to Delhi's exchequer," the former chief minister said.