BJP leaders keep mum when Congress protested against the corrupt liquor policy : Ch. Anil Kumar

NEW DELHI, August 24, 2022—Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Ch. Anil Kumar said that when Delhi Congress vehemently objected to the Arvind Kejriwal Government’s move to make Delhi “Nashe Ki Rajdhani” when the new Liquor Policy was implemented by Excise Minister Manish Sisodia at the behest of Kejriwal, and held  protests, agitations, dharnas, door-to-door phol-khol campaigns etc. regularly,  BJP’s seven MPs, 8 MLAs and over 150 Municipal Councillors and the entire BJP organization in Delhi, including its president, remained silent, He said that the BJP’s silence inferred that it was in league with the Aam Aadmi Party in the implementation of the new Liquor Policy, which allowed the opening of 134 liquor vends in non-confirming areas, in 18 Assembly segments, in a brazen manner by the private liquor cartels, for which the permission of the DDA and MCD was required.

Addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee office, 24 Akbar Road today, Ch. Anil Kumar said that a delegation of the Delhi Congress had met Union Urban Development Minister Shri Hardeep Puri and submitted him a memorandum, objecting to the opening of liquor vends in non-confirming areas, and he had promised to look into the matter. He said that Delhi Congress objected to the new liquor policy as it was concerned with the future of the young, unemployed youth as liquor sales without any restrictions, allowing all sorts of rebates, would have destroyed the future of the young, but the BJP leaders, legislators, Mayors and councillors kept quiet after taking kickbacks from the liquor mafia. He said that liquor vends were opened  in non-confirming areas  in gross violation of the Delhi Master Plan, but BJP did not object.

Ch. Anil Kumar said that the BJP leaders woke up to the illegality and corruption in the implementation of the new Liquor Policy only when the Lt. Governor ordered a CBI probe against Manish Sisodia and others  for their roles in the liquor scam. He said that the Delhi Congress had complained to the Delhi Police Commissioner, the Lt. Governor and the probe agencies backed with evidence, about the corruption behind the liquor policy, which the BJP was raking up now. He said that a BJP MP, who is a singer, was busy with his recordings while a cricketer MP was busy with his commentary when Congress workers protested, as they were not concerned with the future of the youth. He said that  liquor shops were opened where school buses used to be parked, and near religious places. He said that the new liberalized liquor policy ruined many families as the Delhi Government did not pay heed to the objections of housewives and women to the liquor policy.

Ch. Anil Kumar said that Delhi Congress had complained about the corrupt Liquor Policy on June 3, 2022 and held protests on the streets, but the BJP leaders were sleeping then. He said that a month after Delhi
Congress complained to the then Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, Delhi’s Chief Secretary submitted a report on 8-7-2022, pinpointing the irregularities in the liquor policy, and on 20-7-2022, the Lt. Governor ordered a CBI probe into the liquor scam. He said that it was the Congress workers who were protesting against the new Liquor Policy from the very beginning, long before the LG ordered a CBI probe. He said  that the Congress waged protests against the liquor policy on behalf  of the people of  Delhi and for their interest, and they will continue to object to such anti-people policies of the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party.

Ch. Anil Kumar said that the Som Group  of Madhya Pradesh, owned by J.K. Arora, had given donation to the BJP, and the BJP leaders were not taking his name now as they were beneficiaries of Arora’s munificence. He said that similarly, Deep Malhotra of Punjab, who was part of the liquor cartel, was also a friend of the BJP, and therefore the BJP leaders were keeping mum on his role too, and his name also does not figure in the CBI report, which was strange. He said that it seems that the CBI probe is being influenced to keep out the names of BJP’s friends from the liquor scam, and those who give donations to the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party, which will adversely impact an impartial probe into the liquor scam, though Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal are the kingpins of the liquor deals.