Over 400 liquor licences granted since AAP came to power:Yadav

New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) The AAP government granted over400 liquor licences under various categories since it came topower, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav today alleged,terming Arvind Kejriwal’s "promise" to discourage and reducebooze consumption in Delhi a "farce". Yadav alleged "irregularities" in granting licences toopen retail vends in shopping malls (L10) and departmentalstores (L12). The "real game" lies there, he told a pressconference, and said he will expose it soon. Yadav, who was expelled from AAP for alleged anti-partyactivities, said that the Delhi government under AAP spent ameasly Rs 16,000 on de-addiction drives. The figure, heclaimed, were taken from official records. "The government gave four different replies to four RTIqueries on liquor shops. But on digging deep we found that astartling 399 new licences have been granted till August 10.It must have crossed 400 by now," Yadav said. As per data provided by Abhiyan, the number of L10(retail vend of Indian and foreign liquor in shopping malls orairport) and L12 (retail vend of beer and wine in departmentalstores) licences that have been granted since February 2015are 67 and 69 respectively. It further claimed that 227 L17 (service of Indian liquorat independent restaurant) have been issued in the sameperiod. Taking a swipe at Kejriwal, Yadav said it was ironicalthat the same person harped on the importance of takingconsent of the people and especially women, in his book’Swaraj’, before opening new liquor shops. Yadav also played out video clips of Kejriwal purportedlymaking a similar promise during campaigning for the assemblyelection. He said the Delhi government’s recent move to empowermohalla sabhas in this regard was an eyewash as these bodies,numbering around 3000, have not even been notified for them tohave any legal standing. MORE PTI SBR RCJ ZMNRCJ