NEW DELHI: Both BJP and Congress hit out at the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government on Monday over its decision to reduce the drinking age in the capital from 25 to 21 years, while also privatising all liquor vends.
While Congress said this was a move towards making Delhi “nashe ki rajdhani” (the capital of intoxication), BJP said it would promote the private liquor mafia.
Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Chaudhary Anil Kumar said, “The privatisation move will open the doors for spurious liquor. Delhi government’s bid to mop up 20% more revenue from liquor sales (from the current Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 7,500 crore) is a retrograde step. It will lead the youth astray and they will become addicted.”
“Instead of tightening the liquor policy to make the capital safer for women and keeping the youth away from substance abuse, the new excise policy will only bring ruin to Delhi, all for the sake of a few crores more revenue,” added Kumar.
Leader of Opposition in Delhi assembly, BJP’s Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, said the new excise policy was wrong and arbitrary, which could also lead to a possible spike in the crime rate.
“In addition to Delhi having the dubious distinction of being the most-polluted capital in the world, it will soon be labelled as the liquor capital of the country too,” he added.
“The new policy will encourage consumption of liquor, which is unfortunate. It will also lead to the supply of spurious liquor as there is no guarantee about the quality being provided by the private vends. Thousands of government employees associated with liquor vends are now facing uncertainty,” said Bidhuri.
Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta described it as a “black day” in Delhi’s history.
“The AAP government took this decision for its own political funding. The reduction of liquor consumption age may be non-objectionable under law, but it is morally wrong. It seems the Kejriwal government is bent on pushing Delhi’s youths towards liquor,” he added.