The AAP on Tuesday alleged that the BJP is up against the Delhi Government’s excise policy as it wants the business of spurious liquor to thrive in the national Capital and cause revenue loss to the public exchequer. It said the saffron party wants to replicate the “Gujarat Model” of illegal liquor business in Delhi, latching on to the latest hooch tragedy in the State where 28 people have so far died after consuming spurious liquor. The AAP also demanded the resignation of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in view of the incident.
Earlier, Delhi Lieutenant- Governor VK Saxena sought a report from the Delhi Chief Secretary on allegations of “cartelisation, facilitating monopolies and favouring blacklisted firms” in awarding liquor licences under the Excise Policy 2021-22 of the Arvind Kejriwal-led city Government, which has asserted that there was no truth in the claim.
Addressing a press conference, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “There are few people who want that the business of spurious liquor continue and thrive in Delhi as well. Since 2021 when the Delhi government brought the new excise policy, these people have been perturbed.”
“They (BJP) say the number of liquor shops have gone up to 850 to 1,000 in Delhi from the previous 250 after the new excise policy was brought in,” the AAP spokesperson said, adding, “the BJP is spreading lies”. “These shops were closed down for various reasons. Many of vendors closed down their shops either due to losses or BJP’s intimidation,” Bharadwaj claimed.
adding, “The BJP is intimidating the vendors because it wants all of them to run away and cause revenue loss to the government.”
The AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged that business of spurious liquor across Gujarat is going on unabated despite liquor being prohibited in the state because the trade enjoys the patronage of the ruling BJP.He termed the death of the people in the latest hooch tragedy in Gujarat as “murder” and held the Gujarat chief minister responsible for the deaths. Meanwhile, AAP Atishi said that hundreds of people die painful deaths every year due to spurious liquor in Gujarat despite prohibition.
“ BJP leaders are making lakhs of crores of illegal profits made in Gujarat through their illicit liquor business, they want to do the same in Delhi too,” she said.