Come clean on liquor licences: Swaraj Abhiyan to Kejriwal

Deputy CM Sisodia had claimed that only six retail vends have come up in the city.

Continuing its tirade against the AAP government over the liquor policy, Swaraj Abhiyan on Tuesday challenged Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to come clean on the issue of 399 liquor licences in the national capital.

“Why is the AAP government led by RTI activists concealing information from the public What is the reason for increasing supply of liquor by a party that came to power on the promise of ‘nashamukti’ (de-addiction) ,” Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav asked.

Yadav, who was expelled from AAP, also offered to withdraw from public life if his claim of Delhi government issuing 399 liquor licences was found to be untrue.

“Your government has repeatedly claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party has issued only six new licences for liquor after coming to power. When Swaraj Abhiyan released different RTIs showing figures ranging from 58 to 217 new licences, your deputy CM (Manish Sisodia) claimed it was a lie. You might recall, Prashant (Bhushan) ji and I are not given to lying,” he said in his letter to the Delhi chief minister.

“I challenge you to prove that this figure of 399 is incorrect and that your deputy CM was not misleading the people of Delhi. If you can, I offer to withdraw from public life,” he said.

In the Delhi Assembly last week, Mr Sisodia had indirectly hit out at Mr Yadav and Mr Prashant Bhushan-led Swaraj Abhiyan, which has attacked the AAP government’s liquor policy in its first major intervention in Delhi politics.

Mr Sisodia had claimed that only six retail vends have come up in the city and the number of other licenced establishments serving alcohol has actually gone down since AAP assumed office.

“Since you have questioned us, I am constrained to respond with this challenge. I am releasing a list of 399 new licences that the Aam Aadmi Party government has issued to liquor vends/stores, restaurants, etc. It means that your government was working hard to issue almost one licence every day!” Mr Yadav claimed.

The Swaraj Abhiyan leader, in his letter, has also provided the list of names and addresses of the licence holders along with the licence number, based on information supplied by the Delhi government. Mr Yadav also demanded to know why the AAP government had not spent even '1 crore of the '3,589 crore earned from liquor for de-addiction.