The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday accused the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government of encouraging alcoholism by allegedly allowing a “one plus, one free” liquor scheme in the state.

Liquor shops across Noida and Ghaziabad are offering discounts and deals to clear out their stock before the new excise policy in Uttar Pradesh comes into effect on April 1.

 Addressing a press conference, Delhi Aam Aadmi Party chief Saurabh Bharadwaj also wondered why no action had been taken against liquor shops reportedly offering free bottles of alcohol.

 “We are seeing many videos on social media from across Uttar Pradesh where long queues are forming outside liquor shops. It is a conspiracy to make people alcoholics. I want to ask UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath why there has been no bulldozer action against these shops,” Bharadwaj said.

The former Delhi minister asked if the scheme had the approval of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) central leadership. 

“Has CM Yogi started this ‘one plus, one free’ alcohol scheme after consulting the BJP leadership? If not, why is the central BJP leadership silent on this?” he asked. The party attacked the UP government also in a post on X.

 “A river of liquor is flowing in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh. At liquor shops in Noida, a free bottle of alcohol is being given with each purchase. Do the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress not see any scam or irregularity in this? Will the BJP central government order a Central Bureau of Investigation-Enforcement Directorate (CBI-ED) investigation into this?” it posted.

This year, the Uttar Pradesh government introduced an e-lottery system for liquor shop licenses instead of renewing licenses as done in the past six years.

This change allows new players to enter the market.

Additionally, the government has introduced “composite shops” that will sell both beer and Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) together.

Because of this, many separate beer and IMFL shops will be merged.

According to excise officials, Noida liquor stores usually sell about 10,000 beer bottles, 30,000 foreign liquor bottles, and 40,000 country liquor bottles daily, generating `three-four Crore in revenue every day.

With the current discounts, they expect a 30-40 per cent spike in sales this week.