New Delhi: A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed a revenue loss of Rs 2,026 crore to the exchequer due to alleged irregularities in the implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy of the Delhi government. The leaked CAG report, exclusively accessed by India Today, highlights significant lapses, policy deviations, and violations in issuing licences.
It also mentioned that the policy failed to achieve its intended goals and AAP leaders allegedly benefitted from kickbacks. The report also mentioned that recommendations by the expert panel were disregarded by the Group of Ministers (GoM) led by then-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
The liquor policy, introduced in November 2021, aimed to revamp the liquor retail landscape in the national capital and maximise revenue. However, corruption and money laundering charges led to investigations by the ED and the CBI. Several top AAP leaders, including then-Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, were arrested. However, they were granted bail last year.
The CAG report, which is yet to be tabled in the Delhi Assembly, revealed that all entities were allowed to bid despite complaints, and the financial conditions of the bidders were not scrutinised. Licences were granted to entities reporting losses or, even, renewed, it said.
Additionally, the CAG found that violators were deliberately not penalised. It also highlighted that key decisions related to the policy were taken without a Cabinet nod or approval by the Lieutenant Governor. Moreover, the new rules were not tabled before the Assembly for ratification, contrary to the official procedure.
The CAG also punched holes in the process of the implementation of the new policy. The report said while some retailers retained their licences till the expiry of the policy, some surrendered them before the period was over. As the surrendered retail licences were not re-tendered, the government suffered a loss of Rs 890 crore.
Moreover, exemptions granted to zonal licensees led to an additional loss of Rs 941 crore. Additionally, Rs 144 crore was waived in licence fees for zonal licensees on the pretext of Covid restrictions. This despite the tender document mentioning that commercial risks would lie solely with licensees.
The CAG report also flagged that infrastructure for quality control, such as labs and batch testing facilities, was never set up, despite being part of the policy plan.
As the CAG report went viral, BJP leader and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur called Arvind Kejriwal the “kingpin of liquorgate”. “AAP promised schools but built liquor stores instead. They talked of brooms and clean governance, but moved from ‘swaraj’ to ‘sharab’. Their 10-year journey is marked by scandals,” Thakur said.
Meanwhile, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh questioned the veracity of the claims, asking if the report was filed at the “BJP’s office”. Singh also stressed that the report was yet to be tabled in the Delhi Assembly.
“Where is this CAG report? Where are these claims coming from? Is it filed at the BJP office? BJP leaders have lost their mental balance. The CAG report has not been tabled, and they are making such claims,” the AAP leader said.
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