News Analysis India

Tag: Liquor policy

  • MP: Uma Bharti staying in Bhopal temple to seek stringent liquor policy

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: Ahead of the Madhya Pradesh government’s likely announcement of a new liquor policy, Bharatiya Janata Party veteran Uma Bharti is staying at a temple in state capital Bhopal demanding the policy be made more stringent.

    If a “controlled liquor policy” is implemented, the ruling BJP will repeat its record victory like 2003, Bharti told reporters on Saturday after she reached the temple located near a liquor shop at the Ayodhya Nagar trisection.

    The BJP leader announced she will stay there till January 31, awaiting the liquor policy announcement.

    The Assembly elections in MP are due in December this year.

    Bharti has been demanding appropriate amendments in liquor policy, which the state government releases every year, and incorporating more controls to promote de-addiction.

    She had earlier opposed the wine shop located near the temple.

    The Madhya Pradesh government has not announced any date, but a new liquor policy is generally announced in January-end.

    The former Union minister said she had expressed a desire to tour various spots in Madhya Pradesh last November, but the visit could not materialise due to lack of arrangements for her staff including security personnel.

    “I have never demanded absolute prohibition. I said I would implement a total prohibition if it is in my control. I have full faith in Shivraj ji (MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan). I will wait for the decision about the liquor policy on January 31,” she said.

    The former state chief minister also said she did not want the opposition Congress to benefit from her stand.

    “If a controlled liquor policy, as I had told (to the BJP government), is implemented, the BJP will repeat its record victory like 2003,” she said.

    The BJP had won 165 seats in the 230-member MP Assembly in the 2003 polls decimating the Congress, which was in power at that time, to 58 seats. After that election, Bharti became the chief minister. She resigned after eight months.

    BHOPAL: Ahead of the Madhya Pradesh government’s likely announcement of a new liquor policy, Bharatiya Janata Party veteran Uma Bharti is staying at a temple in state capital Bhopal demanding the policy be made more stringent.

    If a “controlled liquor policy” is implemented, the ruling BJP will repeat its record victory like 2003, Bharti told reporters on Saturday after she reached the temple located near a liquor shop at the Ayodhya Nagar trisection.

    The BJP leader announced she will stay there till January 31, awaiting the liquor policy announcement.

    The Assembly elections in MP are due in December this year.

    Bharti has been demanding appropriate amendments in liquor policy, which the state government releases every year, and incorporating more controls to promote de-addiction.

    She had earlier opposed the wine shop located near the temple.

    The Madhya Pradesh government has not announced any date, but a new liquor policy is generally announced in January-end.

    The former Union minister said she had expressed a desire to tour various spots in Madhya Pradesh last November, but the visit could not materialise due to lack of arrangements for her staff including security personnel.

    “I have never demanded absolute prohibition. I said I would implement a total prohibition if it is in my control. I have full faith in Shivraj ji (MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan). I will wait for the decision about the liquor policy on January 31,” she said.

    The former state chief minister also said she did not want the opposition Congress to benefit from her stand.

    “If a controlled liquor policy, as I had told (to the BJP government), is implemented, the BJP will repeat its record victory like 2003,” she said.

    The BJP had won 165 seats in the 230-member MP Assembly in the 2003 polls decimating the Congress, which was in power at that time, to 58 seats. After that election, Bharti became the chief minister. She resigned after eight months.

  • Delhi government scraps liquor policy after multiple probes

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The AAP government in Delhi on Friday scrapped its New Excise Policy 2021-22 following multiple enquiries, including those by the CBI and Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police, into charges of “undue financial favours to liquor licensees” and other “major decisions/actions in violation of statutory provisions, that had huge financial implications.”

    The old liquor policy is likely to be back in force from August 1, 2022, sources said.

    TNIE was the first to report that the city government’s liquor policy “extended wrongful gains and favours to liquor wholesalers in Delhi, at the cost of state’s revenue.”

    In a letter marked “Topmost Priority” to the state’s excise commissioner Krishna Mohan Uppu, Delhi Finance Secretary Ashish Chandra Verma on Friday said, “Reference is invited to the directions of Hon’ble Dy CM dated 28.07.2022 vide which it has, inter alia, been directed to revert to the old regime of excise policy for a period of six months till a fresh Excise Policy is in place.”

    The letter further said, “Considering that the timelines are very short, you, while taking other necessary actions in the matter, may coordinate immediately with the heads of the DSIIDC, DTTDC, DCCWS, DSCSC to get the following information prepared latest by end of today (i.e., 29.09.2022) in the following format separately for all such four organisations.”

    The information sought from the excise commissioner includes the name of the old vend and its location, staff deployed in the previous regime, whether the premises where the vend was located were rented or owned by the public sector undertaking, and whether the premises were still vacant or occupied. Copies of the finance minister’s letter have also been sent to the heads of the four Delhi government PSUs which were earlier engaged in running the liquor vends.

    The Delhi government had implemented a new excise policy on November 15, 2021 whereby the above-mentioned four PSUs were withdrawn from the liquor business and the entire liquor trade was handed over to the private sector. The government order today directs the excise commissioner to bring back the state PSUs into the liquor business.

    Sources said the new liquor policy has been scrapped to stonewall investigations and prevent action against Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia who was the head of the group of ministers that drafted the new excise policy.

    The state government’s new excise policy generated protests by retailers. As many as 10 zonal retailers out of the total of 32 zones either surrendered or refused to renew their licenses accusing the government of favouring wholesalers. The government allegedly violated the policy on multiple counts leading to Delhi lieutenant governor V K Saxena ordering a CBI probe.

    NEW DELHI: The AAP government in Delhi on Friday scrapped its New Excise Policy 2021-22 following multiple enquiries, including those by the CBI and Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police, into charges of “undue financial favours to liquor licensees” and other “major decisions/actions in violation of statutory provisions, that had huge financial implications.”

    The old liquor policy is likely to be back in force from August 1, 2022, sources said.

    TNIE was the first to report that the city government’s liquor policy “extended wrongful gains and favours to liquor wholesalers in Delhi, at the cost of state’s revenue.”

    In a letter marked “Topmost Priority” to the state’s excise commissioner Krishna Mohan Uppu, Delhi Finance Secretary Ashish Chandra Verma on Friday said, “Reference is invited to the directions of Hon’ble Dy CM dated 28.07.2022 vide which it has, inter alia, been directed to revert to the old regime of excise policy for a period of six months till a fresh Excise Policy is in place.”

    The letter further said, “Considering that the timelines are very short, you, while taking other necessary actions in the matter, may coordinate immediately with the heads of the DSIIDC, DTTDC, DCCWS, DSCSC to get the following information prepared latest by end of today (i.e., 29.09.2022) in the following format separately for all such four organisations.”

    The information sought from the excise commissioner includes the name of the old vend and its location, staff deployed in the previous regime, whether the premises where the vend was located were rented or owned by the public sector undertaking, and whether the premises were still vacant or occupied. Copies of the finance minister’s letter have also been sent to the heads of the four Delhi government PSUs which were earlier engaged in running the liquor vends.

    The Delhi government had implemented a new excise policy on November 15, 2021 whereby the above-mentioned four PSUs were withdrawn from the liquor business and the entire liquor trade was handed over to the private sector. The government order today directs the excise commissioner to bring back the state PSUs into the liquor business.

    Sources said the new liquor policy has been scrapped to stonewall investigations and prevent action against Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia who was the head of the group of ministers that drafted the new excise policy.

    The state government’s new excise policy generated protests by retailers. As many as 10 zonal retailers out of the total of 32 zones either surrendered or refused to renew their licenses accusing the government of favouring wholesalers. The government allegedly violated the policy on multiple counts leading to Delhi lieutenant governor V K Saxena ordering a CBI probe.

  • High Court issues notice to Punjab on liquor policy

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has on Tuesday issued notice to the government of Punjab asking it to explain why its new liquor policy should not be stayed following complaints of illegality.

    The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab had brought in a new excise policy for the year 2022-23 on June 8, 2022. A petition filed in the high court by M/s Akash Enterprises and M/s Vijay Sharma and Harjinder Singh and others said that “as per the excise policy for the year 2022-23, the wine contractors holding L-2 retail vends are prohibited to participate in the allotment procedure of L-1 wholesale vend and the same is completely illegal, arbitrary, and ultra vires being in stark contrast with the provisions of Punjab Excise Act, 1914, and Punjab Liquor License Rules, 1956…”

    The petitioners said that “L-1 (wholesale) liquor license holder is also running the L-2 (retail) vend, and now as per the conditions imposed by the respondents, no L-2 (retail) license holder can get L-1 (wholesale) vend just in order to create the monopoly of the near and dear one of the Delhi High command.”

    The petitioners have alleged in the petition that the policy was made to favour some people who are “…near and dear to the head of the party in Delhi as all the meetings for L-1 is conducted in Delhi (and) the policy is also framed in Delhi.”

    The petitioners have alleged that the new excise policy was drafted in such as way that it favoured a few and would end up creating a monopoly in the liquor business. They said that the maximum number of retail vends that could be allotted to an entity was increased to five from three, which “furthers the intent of monopolizing the liquor industry into the hands of a few resourceful bidders”.

    The high court bench of Justice Mahabir Singh Sindhu and Justice Vikas Suri have asked the state government to send its response to the charges in petition by July 8.

    That the Punjab excise policy was made in Delhi is a charge also made by BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa in his complaint to the CBI. In his complaint, Sirsa has accused Delhi chief minister Manish Sisodia of holding a meeting at his Delhi residence on 30.05.22 with Punjab excise and taxation officials to draft a similar policy for Punjab.

    Sirsa said the meeting at Sisodia’s residence was attended by Varun Runjan, excise and taxation commissioner, Punjab, Kap Sinha, financial commissioner, taxation, Punjab, Naresh Dubey, Vijay Nair, AAP Member of Parliament Raghav Chadha and Punjab excise minister Harpal Cheema. Sisodia did not respond to a detailed questionnaire sent to him by this newspaper on June 14. The Delhi government spokesperson, however, rejected Sirsa’s charges as baseless and politically motivated.