Sisodia defends new excise policy, accused ex-Delhi LG Baijal of ‘changing stand’

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New
Delhi,
Aug
06:
Delhi
Deputy
Chief
Minister
Manish
Sisodia
accused
former
lieutenant
governor
Anil
Baijal
on
Saturday
of
changing
his
stand
over
opening
liquor
vends
in
unauthorised
areas
and
claimed
that
it
led
to
a
loss
of
thousands
of
crores
of
rupees
to
the
city
government.

At
a
press
conference
in
Delhi,
Sisodia
said
he
has
sent
the
details
of
the
matter
to
the
Central
Bureau
of
Investigation
(CBI)
and
asserted
that
there
should
be
a
probe
into
it.

No
immediate
reaction
was
available
from
Baijal.
“Under
the
new
excise
policy,
849
shops
were
to
be
opened
across
Delhi,
including
in
unauthorised
areas.
The
LG
did
not
object
to
the
proposal
and
approved
it,”
Sisodia
said.

Delhi
excise
policy
reversal:
Mad
rush
at
Delhi
liquor
stores
as
no
private
vends
from
Aug
1

However,
on
November
15
last
year,
two
days
before
the
implementation
of
the
policy,
the
LG
changed
his
stand
and
introduced
a
condition
that
permission
from
the
Delhi
Development
Authority
(DDA)
and
the
Municipal
Corporation
of
Delhi
(MCD)
would
be
needed
for
opening
liquor
shops
in
unauthorised
areas,
he
alleged.
“As
a
result
of
this
change
of
stand
by
the
LG,
the
shops
could
not
be
opened
in
unauthorised
areas,
leading
to
a
loss
of
revenue
of
thousands
of
crores
to
the
government.
On
the
other
hand,
the
shops
that
opened
witnessed
a
huge
income,”
the
Aam
Aadmi
Party
(AAP)
leader
said.

Baijal
was
the
Delhi
LG
when
the
Arvind
Kejriwal
government
prepared
the
new
excise
policy,
which
was
implemented
on
November
17,
2021.
The
government
has
now
withdrawn
the
policy
and
is
preparing
to
run
liquor
vends
under
the
old
excise
regime
through
its
undertakings
from
September
1.

Sisodia
said
it
should
also
be
probed
why
Baijal
changed
his
stand
that
benefited
some
players
and
caused
financial
losses
to
the
government.
It
should
also
be
probed
if
the
former
LG
took
the
decision
under
pressure
and
whether
any
Bharatiya
Janata
Party
(BJP)
leader
had
anything
to
do
with
it,
he
added.

Delhi
withdraws
new
excise
policy,
only
govt-run
liquor
shops
from
Monday:
Sisodia

The
current
LG,
VK
Saxena,
has
recommended
a
CBI
probe
into
the
alleged
violation
of
rules
and
procedural
lapses
in
the
implementation
of
the
Excise
Policy
2021-22,
under
which
licences
were
issued
to
private
firms
for
retail
sale
of
liquor
in
the
city
divided
into
32
zones.