Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Atishi defended the scrapped liquor policy after the CAG report revealed a ₹2002 crore loss. She argued that the report actually exposed corruption in the old policy. Moreover, she claimed Delhi lost revenue because liquor was illegally brought in from neighboring states. Meanwhile, BJP accused AAP of misgovernance, stating that the report exposed the "black deeds" of Arvind Kejriwal.

CAG Report Unveils Major Revenue Loss

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta presented the CAG report in the Delhi Assembly. According to the report, the previous excise policy caused a ₹2002 crore revenue loss. In response, Atishi said the findings confirmed AAP’s earlier claims about corruption in the old policy.

“The excise audit report was presented today. It includes seven chapters on the excise policy from 2017-2021 and one chapter on the new policy. Previously, the Delhi government had exposed corruption in the old policy. Under that policy, liquor was smuggled from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Now, this report confirms what we already said—that the old policy led to massive losses,” Atishi stated, as quoted by ANI.

Furthermore, she claimed the CAG report proved corruption in the liquor trade under the old policy.

Illegal Liquor Trade and Black Marketing

Atishi insisted the report validated AAP’s accusations.

“This report proves our point. There was corruption in liquor sales. Specifically, more than 28% of the corruption came from contractors, while brokers pocketed the money. Additionally, black marketing of liquor was rampant. Everyone knew which party controlled the contracts. Meanwhile, contractors manipulated cost calculations to maximize profits,” she explained.

BJP Slams AAP Leadership

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva strongly criticized AAP, accusing them of scamming the people of Delhi.

“This report exposes the black deeds of Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and AAP. It clearly shows how they looted Delhi. Not only that, but they even opened liquor shops in residential and religious areas,” he stated.

The report also blamed poor planning and weak execution for the financial losses.

“Due to several issues, ranging from a weak policy framework to improper implementation, Delhi suffered a cumulative loss of ₹2002.68 crore,” the report stated.

Liquor Policy Scrapped After Corruption Probe

As a result of these revelations, the Delhi government scrapped the new liquor policy in 2022. Shortly after, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered a corruption probe. Consequently, several AAP leaders, including Manish Sisodia, faced legal action.