BackYogendra Yadav asks Kejriwal to clarify on liquor policy
Yogendra Yadav released a list of 399 liquor licences issued in Delhi, seeking to debunk the AAP government's claim that it had issued only six such licences
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New Delhi: Swaraj Abhiyan co-founder Yogendra Yadav Tuesday released a list of 399 liquor licences he said were issued in Delhi, seeking to debunk the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s claim that it had issued only six such licences.
Yadav, also a former AAP leader, asked Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal to be transparent about the issue of liquor licences.
“Your government has repeatedly claimed that AAP government has issued only six new licences for liquor after coming to power. When Swaraj Abhiyan released different RTIs (right to information requests) showing figures ranging from 58 to 217 new licences, your deputy chief minister claimed this was a lie. You might recall, Prashantji (Prashant Bhushan, also a Swaraj Abhityan leader) and I are not given to lying," Yadav said in his letter to Kejriwal.
Responding to a question in the Delhi assembly last week, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia claimed that the government has only given licences to six new vendors and the total number of vendors has come down.
Swaraj Abhiyan, led by Yadav and Bhushan, has attacked the AAP government’s liquor policy saying the government has failed to act on their manifesto promises.
“Since you have questioned us, I am constrained to respond with this challenge. I am releasing a list of 399 new licences that AAP government has issued to liquor vends/stores and restaurants etc. It means that your government was working hard to issue almost one licence every day!," he said.
Yadav wondered why AAP, a party led by RTI activists, was concealing information from the public.
Yadav said he will withdraw from public life if his claim of the government issuing 399 licences was found to be untrue. In his letter, he listed out the names, addresses and licence numbers of the vendors.
Yadav also demanded to know how the government had spent 3589 crore allotted for de-addiction centres.
Swaraj Abhiyan has been holding public meetings in Delhi against the liquor policy. So far, it has held hearings in Kasturba Nagar, Karawal Nagar and Uttam Nagar.
Earlier this month, Kejriwal said no new liquor shops will be opened this year. He also said that residents will have the chance to decide the future of existing shops through mohalla sabhas.
PTI contributed to this story.
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