Hours after the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal in connection to the liquor policy scam on Thursday (21st March), it came to light that the Congress filed a police complaint against the Delhi Chief Minister in 2022.
The development was confirmed by the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC).
In a tweet (archive) on 3rd June 2022, it said, “This is the complaint letter handed over to the Delhi Police by DPCC President Anil Chaudhary and other senior Delhi Congress leaders. Kejriwal’s fraudulent liquor policy must be reversed immediately!”
In its complaint, the Congress said, “Aam Aadmi Party lead (sic) Delhi govt. bring out New Excise policy 2021-22, through said policy govt. promised citizen of Delhi that the priority of the government is keeping in check the emergence of monopolies and cartels.”
“Although Excise policy enumerates several checks and balances to curtail emergence of monopolies and cartels. But During the tendering processes and license distribution several shell companies violating the terms and conditior has been able to get licenses in collusion with high level officers of Excise department and ministers by ignoring the mandatory conditions,” the grand-old-party had claimed.
It further emphasised, “Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ji with nexus with Former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Shri Deep Malhotra has formed cartels and created monopolies in Delhi by illegal tendering.” The Congress had sought thorough investigation into what it called a ‘multi-crore scam’.
In the meantime, a 2023 video of veteran Congress leader Ajay Maken explaining the role of the AAP-led-Delhi government in the liquor policy scam went viral on social media.
“It is now established that at least a bribe of ₹100 crore was taken,” he had said a year ago. Maken had also claimed that AAP and Arvind Kejriwal made 6% kickbacks on sale of liquor and used it against the Congress party during the Goa elections.
“Kejriwal has executed a scam of ₹100 crore just to defeat the Congress party,” he stated while seeking the resignation of the Delhi CM and his deputy Manish Sisodia.
In March 2023, Congress spokesperson had boasted about the party kickstarting an investigation into the liquor policy scam. He had said, “It was Congress which had made the complaint about the scam.”
Congress defends Arvind Kejriwal
Soon after the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday (21st March), Congress scion Rahul Gandhi came to his rescue.
“A scared dictator wants to create a dead democracy. While capturing all the institutions including the media, breaking up the parties, extorting money from companies, freezing the account of the main opposition party was not enough for the ‘devilish power’, now the arrest of the elected Chief Ministers has also become a common thing. INDIA will give a befitting reply to this,” he brazened out.
Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely had said, “They (BJP) are doing this kind of thing as they are afraid of the elections…Congress’ accounts were seized, Hemant Soren was arrested and today in Delhi, just before the elections, the arrest has been done. Using the agencies is shameful.”
“We want to make this clear that Congress will not be afraid of all these things and we will strongly fight the elections. AAP is the partner of the alliance (INDIA alliance), we are strongly standing with them and we support them…”
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor claimed, “Shocked by the news of the arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Coming hard on the heels of the crippling freeze on Congress’ bank accounts, it is clear that a systematic effort is on to subvert Indian democracy during our general elections.”
He pleaded the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.
Sandeep Dikshit, who was seen accusing Kejriwal of running the liquor scam until last year, also alleged that the BJP was killing democracy by arresting the Delhi Chief Minister.
The grand-old-party, which accused the Delhi government of orchestrating the liquor policy scam, has now thrown its weight behind the party in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Liquor policy scam explained
The Delhi Excise Policy 2021-2022 was first proposed in September 2020 but came into effect only in November 2021. It changed how alcohol was being sold in the National Capital. Introduced private players in the market and marked the exit of government-owned liquor vendors.
Delhi was divided into 32 zones and a total of 27 private vendors were to ply in each zone. Every municipal ward had 2-3 liquor vendors operating in the area. Proposals such as home delivery of liquor, allowing liquor vendors to offer unlimited discounts, opening of stores till 3 am were also tabled before the Delhi Cabinet.
The drastic policy change resulted in a 27% increase in government revenue to ₹8900 crores. At the same time, it marked the complete exit of the Delhi government from the liquor business. While the objective of Excise Policy 2021-2022 was to end black marketing and the liquor mafia, the Delhi government soon came under fire over allegations of corruption.
Chief Secretary of Delhi, Naresh Kumar, found irregularities and procedural lapses in the new liquor policy. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered a CBI probe on the recommendation of Naresh Kumar. Manish Sisodia waived off ₹144.36 crores on the license fee, to be paid by the private liquor vendors, under the garb of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Incurred loss to the Excise Department and benefitted liquor licensees by waiving the import pass fee of ₹50 per beer case. All these changes were made without the final approval of the Lieutenant Governor and thus considered illegal under the Delhi Excise Rules of 2010 and Transaction of Business Rules of 1993.
Thus, the Delhi government made a U-turn on its new excise policy in July 2022. A month later, CBI booked Manish Sisodia, ex-Only Much Louder (OML) CEO Vijay Nair and 13 others in an FIR for irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-2022.
Sisodia was arrested in February 2023 while Kejriwal was arrested on 21st March 2024. Not until long ago, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal was out with all guns blazing against corruption, trying to portray himself as an anti-corruption crusader in this process.