‘Manish Sisodia should resign, otherwise...’: Congress leader over Delhi Excise Policy probe

Ajay Maken challenged Arvind Kejriwal to debate on the excise policy issue and also asked him to remove the Deputy Chief Minister

Representational Image: ANI

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party over the alleged excise policy "scam" and demanded that either Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia should resign or he should be removed. Congress general secretary Ajay Maken also alleged that Kejriwal was not removing Sisodia as the strings of the matter were attached to him. 

Maken challenged Kejriwal to a debate on the excise policy issue. “I challenge Kejriwal ji for a debate on this and I will tell him what the scam is," he said. Maken called for a through investigation into the "excise policy scam".

"Kejriwal ji, in his earlier avatar, used to say that till the minister resigns, there can be no fair investigation. We remind him of the words he used to say against an honest prime minister like Manmohan Singh," he said.

Responding to a question, Maken said, "If Sisodia does not resign, he should be removed. Kejriwal ji should remove him but he will not do so as it will be exposed that the strings of this matter attached to him."

"Ask Kejriwal ji about the liquor scam, he will talk about education and other things. We want to ask him to clarify what he has to say on the liquor scam," Maken said at a press conference at AICC headquarters here.

"More than 90 per cent of the liquor shops opened by the Kejriwal government are in residential areas. This is in violation of the master plan," he said. "The Municipal Corporation and the DDA could have sealed these shops, but they did not do it on time. That's why questions are raised on the BJP as well," Maken said.

He claimed that the Kejriwal government waived off the liquor license fee of about Rs 144 crore of the liquor mafia. "This is totally a matter of corruption. This party came to power in the name of removing corruption, now Kejriwal and Sisodia are involved in corruption," he said. The AAP came on the plank of corruption and good governance and has failed on both counts, Maken alleged.

Delhi Excise Policy Scam

The Delhi excise policy 2021-22 came under the scanner after Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena last month recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in its implementation. He also suspended 11 excise officials in the matter.

The CBI inquiry was recommended on the findings of the Delhi chief secretary's report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009 and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials said.

According to officials, the report had shown prima facie violations, including "deliberate and gross procedural lapses", to provide post-tender "undue benefits to liquor licensees" through the policy. It is also alleged that undue financial favours were extended to liquor licensees after the tenders were awarded, causing loss to the exchequer.