Delhi Congress to hold dharna against opening of new liquor vends from Wednesday under the revised excise policy of the Delhi Government.
Congress Delhi unit president Anil Kumar said that party workers will come out on the streets to oppose the Aam Aadmi Party Government’s decision to make the national capital “Nashe Ki Rajdhani” with its liberalized excise policy. “The new policy will allow three liquor vends to operate in a ward to make easy availability of liquor, lowering the drinking age to attract impressionable, unemployed youth and students to liquor addiction, extending the bar timings to 3 am, which will make Delhi not only the liquor Capital of the country but also a crime capital,” he said.
Addressing the media, Kumar said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is behind the revised liquor policy because of his unholy alliance and secret deal with the liquor mafia to take kickbacks from them.
“The Congress will oppose the new excise policy, starting today in the Pol Khol Yatra at Krishna Nagar, to expose the corruption, lies and unfulfilled promises of Chief Minister,”he added.
Senior Congress MLA and chairman of the communication department Anil Bhardwaj was also present during the press conference.
Kumar further said that Delhi Chief Minister has been unilaterally taking decisions on the revised excise policy without consulting anyone, including the Residents’ Welfare Associations/Mohalla Sabhas.
He also said that even senior AAP leader and Punjab in-charge Raghav Chadha had written to the Commissioner (Excise) to stop opening of a liquor vend at Naraina Vihar following complaints by the RWA.
Kumar said that CM Arvind had promised to make Delhi like Singapore, London and Paris but he has only succeeded in making Delhi number one in air and water pollution and crime. He said that the revised, liberalized excise policy was intended to fulfil Arvind’s greed for money, which the Delhi Congress will oppose very forcefully, by protesting outside liquor vends, and through the Pol Khol Yatra.