Yadav alleged 'irregularities' in granting licences to open retail vends in shopping malls (L10) and departmental stores

New Delhi: The AAP government granted over 400 liquor licences under various categories since it came to power, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav on Saturday alleged, terming Arvind Kejriwal's "promise" to discourage and reduce booze consumption in Delhi a "farce".

Yadav alleged "irregularities" in granting licences to open retail vends in shopping malls (L10) and departmental stores (L12). The "real game" lies there, he told a press conference, and said he will expose it soon.

Yadav, who was expelled from AAP for alleged anti-party activities, said that the Delhi government under AAP spent a measly Rs 16,000 on de-addiction drives. The figure, he claimed, were taken from official records. "The government gave four different replies to four RTI queries on liquor shops. But on digging deep we found that a startling 399 new licences have been granted till 10 August.

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 or airport) and L12 (retail vend of beer and wine in departmental stores) licences that have been granted since February 2015 are 67 and 69 respectively.

It further claimed that 227 L17 (service of Indian liquor at independent restaurant) have been issued in the same period.

Taking a swipe at Kejriwal, Yadav said it was ironical that the same person harped on the importance of taking consent of the people and especially women, in his book 'Swaraj', before opening new liquor shops.

Yadav also played out video clips of Kejriwal purportedly making a similar promise during campaigning for the assembly election.

He said the Delhi government's recent move to empower mohalla sabhas in this regard was an eyewash as these bodies, numbering around 3000, have not even been notified for them to have any legal standing.