Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday accused the Delhi government of seeking to drown the Capital in liquor through its new excise policy.
Ms. Irani made the charge during a virtual rally which, according to the BJP, had one crore attendees.
“By opening three liquor shops in every ward, they [AAP] have clearly shown their intention that for making profits, they can go to any extent. The Kejriwal government has increased commission on liquor sale from 2% to 12%... To earn this 12% commission, they seem to be destroying several households and they have no idea of that whatsoever,” she said.
Questioning the pink bars for women under the new excise policy, Ms. Irani said while the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was getting women’s toilets constructed, Mr. Kejriwal was talking of making liquor available for them instead.
“Liquor shops have been opened in a residential area in Tilak Nagar, and right near a gurdwara in Sant Nagar. Religion has its own sanctity but Arvind Kejriwal has crossed even that,” she added.
Denying the allegations, AAP said in a statement, “There was a deep nexus between the BJP and the liquor mafia in Delhi, due to which BJP used to earn ₹3,500 crore. Because of the new excise policy, the liquor mafia has been destroyed and the illegal earning of the BJP has also stopped. This has made the BJP furious. So its leaders are making frivolous allegations.”