New Delhi, Mar 4 (PTI) The Delhi BJP on Friday conducted a “referendum” to gather opinion of 10 lakh city residents on the Kejriwal government’s new excise policy.
The party collected public feedback by placing specially crafted boxes at 1,120 places across 280 civic wards, said Delhi BJP media head Navin Kumar.
“There could not be a bigger issue in Delhi, as this excise policy will affect the health and future of Delhiites…,” Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta said while launching the drive at Connaught Place.
The new excise policy is making the youth directionless by promoting alcohol consumption with the opening of 850 liquor stores across the city, Gupta, the councillor from West Patel Nagar, alleged.
The ruling AAP said in a statement the BJP was “flustered” by the new excuse policy which has broken the “nexus” between the liquor mafia and its leaders.
“The referendum should have actually been whether the nexus between liquor mafia and BJP leaders had to be ended or not, sale of spurious liquor at their behest had to be stopped or not and Rs 3,500 crore being pocketed by them had to be prevented or not,” the party said, targeting the BJP.
Delhi BJP chief Gupta said, “A whopping number of Delhiites believe the new ‘sharab niti’ (excise policy) is actually a ‘kharab niti’ (bad policy) under the guise of which the government is playing with the future of the youth and women.” He also helped a few people to fill up the questionnaire.
The questionnaire seeks the people’s response about the excise policy, slashing of dry days, the opening of shops near schools and temples, and other aspects of it, party leaders said.
Four boxes are kept in each of the 280 wards in the city in order to gather the opinion of the people.
Gupta said that Delhi BJP’s fears have proved correct as even the Kejriwal government has accepted that law and order was getting affected due to crowd outside liquor stores in Delhi.
“Off course it’s duty of police to maintain law and order in the city but the Kejriwal government is responsible for aggravating the situation through mindless opening of liquor stores all over the city that have resorted to special schemes to lure people buy more alcohol,” Gupta said.
The Delhi government’s Excise department this week banned retail licensees from offering special discounts and offers saying it was causing crowding outside liquor stores and law and order problems besides some malpractices.
BJP national vice president and in-charge of Delhi unit Baijayant Jay Panda alleged the new excise policy is “the biggest threat” to women and the youth.
Senior party leaders, including former Union ministers Harsh Vardhan and Vijay Goel, MPs Ramesh Bidhuri, Hans Raj Hans, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, MLA Vijender Gupta, Pawan Sharma, former Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay, participated in the campaign.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Virender Babbar said that people showed “keen interest” in the referendum and registered their opinion in large numbers at various places across the city. PTI VIT SMN
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