Delhi Excise Policy: ‘This is reason behind loss…’ says CM Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: In the midst of a controversy over Delhi's excise policy, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is visiting Gujarat on Sunday, stated that the policy would generate Rs 4,000-5,000 crore, but that revenue would be lost due to the intervention of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. "Excise policy of AAP was supposed to generate revenue of Rs 4000-5000 crore but just two days before its implementation LG made many changes to it due to which 300-400 shops could not be opened. Their licence fees and revenue did not come. This is the reason behind less revenue," Kejriwal told reporters here.

This comes after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla chastised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over new RTI disclosures in the Excise Policy scam case. Poonawalla claimed that the AAP's 'New Liquor Policy' resulted in a massive loss. He stated that there has been a loss of Rs 2,000-2,300 crore in 288 days. 

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"AAP`s New Liquor Policy caused a loss of almost Rs 2000-2300 crore. The previous liquor policy had earned Rs 768 crore in September alone which means nearly Rs 25 crore per day, while the new policy could earn Rs 5,036 crore in 7.5 months meaning Rs 14.4 crore a day," BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla stated that the new policy should have resulted in a profit rather than a loss of Rs 8 crore per day.

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Poonawalla went on to say that this was just the "tip of the iceberg," and that the "Sharab ghotaala" was much bigger. "There are many other losses due to the corruption and commissions taken by the AAP leaders and middlemen to make "Sharab policy for the Sharab mafia," he said. He also accused the AAP government of using this money in the Punjab elections, and that it is now being used for Gujarat.

(With ANI inputs)