The BJP and Congress staged protests in the national capital over the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the excise policy of the Arvind Kejriwal government. Delhi BJP leaders and workers assembled at ITO and tried to march towards the AAP office at DDU Marg but were stopped by police. Those who jumped over the barricades were detained while the Delhi Congress leaders and their workers staged a protest outside Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's residence, demanding his resignation.
Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta and Leader of Opposition Rmvir Singh Bidhuri welcomed the Lt Governor decision asking chief secretary to hold an enquiry into new excise policy following complaints against it saying the party has been saying this since the beginning that there has been huge corruption in the name of this policy.
"In fact, the way even a black listed company was given crores of rupees through back door to benefit it smacks of corruption, he charged.
He has asked the report to be submitted within 15 days," they said while demanding sacking of Sisodia as well as another minister of Kejriwal government Satyendar Jain, who is currently under jail in a money laundering case."
For the first time in history, a minister has been jailed but removed from the government which shows the "shamelessness" of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Gupta said.
Leader of Opposition, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that corruption has become Kejriwal's identity. He has pushed youths and women towards alcoholism for his own benefits and has therefore even reduced the minimum age for drinking alcohol.
"Under pressure from liquor mafia Kejiwal has given the task of liquor quality check to them only resulting into duplicate liquor being sold in the city freely.
There is corruption behind Kejriwal's every policy and even Sisodia is an important part of this. Whether it is 850 such shops opened in Delhi, Kejriwal is so much intoxicated with power that he hadn't bothered to even push Delhi towards alcoholism," he added.
Delhi Congress leaders and workers gathered in Patparganj, holding banners and raising slogans against Sisodia and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar alleged that Sisodia, the minister in-charge of Delhi government's excise department, is directly responsible for "corrupt deals" with liquor contractors.
Hundreds of protesters carried banners and placards with slogans such as "Nai Excise Policy Ke Jimmedar, Manish Sisodia Istifa Do, Isitifa Do", "Kejriwal Sarkar Sharab Ghottale Ka Bhrastachar Band Karo, Band Karo" etc.
The Delhi Congress had earlier submitted a written complaint to Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, seeking a probe into the liquor policy.