Delhi government to revert to old retail liquor sale policy after Lt Governor's red flag

New Delhi: The liquor policy row in the national capital has taken a fresh turn on Saturday (July 30, 2022). Amid an ongoing investigation by Delhi Police`s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and a face-off between Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and the Delhi government, the Excise Department has cancelled a tender suspecting cartelisation, for the supply of country liquor in the city, officials said.

With only two days left for the current excise policy to expire, the Delhi government has decided to go back to the old regime of retail liquor sales for six months. The Excise Policy 2021-22, which was extended twice after March 31 for two months each, will expire on July 31.

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Saturday said, "We brought a new liquor policy to stop corruption. Before that government used to get around Rs 6,000 Cr revenue from 850 liquor shops. But, after the new policy, our govt would have got more than Rs 9,000 Cr with the same number of shops."

Sisodia also lashed out at BJP and accused them of foul play. "They (BJP) are threatening shopkeepers, officers with ED and CBI, they want legal liquor shops to be closed in Delhi and earn money from illegal shops. We've decided to stop the new liquor policy and ordered to open govt liquor shops," Sisodia said. 

According to a news agency ANI report, the draft policy has yet to be sent to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena for approval. The strained ties between the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi worsened last week when LG Vinai Kumar Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, holding Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in-charge of the excise department, accountable.

Right after this move, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal lashed out at the Centre, saying the Lieutenant Governor was making "false allegations" and leaders of the AAP were "not afraid of jail".

Delhi LG’s levied allegatio on Delhi government following a report submitted by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar on the matter, in which Manish Sisodia was accused of providing undue benefits to liquor vend licencees in lieu of "kickbacks" and "commissions" and the money being used in the recent Punjab elections.

(With agency inputs)