Delhi excise policy: BJP MP Parvesh Verma targets Sisodia, alleges over Rs 500 cr-graft

BJP MP Parvesh Verma on Thursday alleged that there has been a corruption of hundreds of crores of rupees in Delhi involving wholesale license holders when the excise policy 2021-22 was in force.

The excise policy 2021-22 was withdrawn by the Aam Aadmi Party government on July 30 close on the heels of Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena recommending a CBI probe into alleged violations in its implementation.

Verma alleged that a South Delhi pub owner, close to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, used to collect six per cent of the commission money from the wholesale(L-1) license holders.

No immediate reaction was available from Sisodia or the ruling AAP over Verma's allegations.

The BJP MP from West Delhi alleged the pub owner deleted his photos with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Sisodia posted on social media and left India after the L-G recommended the CBI probe.

''This pub owner, Dinesh Arora, is said to be the right-hand man of Sisodia who used to go to his pub at night. I want to ask Sisodia why did he go to the pub at night and why his photographs with him were deleted after the CBI enquiry was recommended,'' Verma posed.

The BJP MP claimed that under the new Excise Policy, 2021-22, the commission of L-1 license holders was increased from 2.5 per cent to 12 per cent.

''The pub owner used to collect 6 per cent of the commission money from the L-1 holders. This way, nearly Rs 540 crore was collected. Also, Rs 200 crore was collected from three wholesale licensees who had 60-70 per cent market share,'' Verma alleged.

Former MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa alleged that the ''money collected from the licensees was used for AAP's campaign in the Punjab Assembly polls earlier this year.

''The money is also being spent for campaigning in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh where polls are scheduled later this year,'' he alleged.

Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the excise portfolio, had earlier defended the Excise Policy, 2021-22 saying the BJP leaders were levelling allegations of corruption because under the old policy part of the Rs 3,500 crore theft by the liquor mafia was pocketed by them.

''They want to create a shortage of liquor so that they can run an illegal liquor trade in Delhi like they are doing in Gujarat. But we will not let this happen,'' Sisodia had alleged earlier targeting the BJP.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)