BJP leaders meet Delhi L-G against excise policy

The party has objected to the government’s decision to lower the drinking age and to privatise 500 government-run liquor shops. The delegation met Anil Baijal and demanded that the policy be stayed

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday submitted a memorandum to lieutenant governor (L-G) Anil Baijal against the Delhi government’s new excise policy. It has objected to the government’s decision to lower the drinking age and to privatise 500 government-run liquor shops.

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta, LoP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri along with other senior leaders after meeting with L-G Anil Baijal, regarding the new excise policy, in New Delhi on March 25. (PTI)

A delegation led by Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta and Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, leader of the opposition in the Delhi assembly, met the L-G and demanded that the policy be stayed.

Gupta said that the proposal to privatise liquor shops smacks of corruption. “Before the 1980s liquor trade in Delhi was in the hands of private traders and after regular complaints of sale of spurious liquor etc, the then Delhi government took over the liquor trade and opened government shops, which have served Delhi for the last around 40 years…. The very fact that in one go 500 liquor shops licenses are being offered to private liquor traders smacks of a possible nefarious deal between the Delhi government and liquor lobby and this needs to stalled,” said the memorandum.

Bidhuri called the decision to lower the drinking age from 25 to 21 unwanted and said it should be stalled.