After Action On Sisodia, Punjab Government Withdraws Online Forms Related To Liquor Policy

The Delhi liquor scam has created a ripple effect in Punjab.

On Monday (27 February), the AAP government in the state withdrew online renewal forms for a contentious excise policy, after the arrest of Delhi's deputy CM Manish Sisodia over corruption allegations.

The current policy in Punjab, modelled on the lines of Delhi's — now scrapped — excise policy, has been accused of creating a monopoly for outsiders and pushing out local traders under the direction of Delhi's party leadership.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia has called for a CBI investigation into the Delhi excise policy scandal, which he alleges Sisodia designed, resulting in significant losses for the state treasury.

The Punjab government portal briefly displayed renewal forms, including those for liquor license renewal, checklist for renewal, form-M-75, and affidavit under order 7 of Punjab Intoxicants License and Sales Orders, 1956, before being removed.

Majithia has claimed that the policy allowed for large-scale corruption, resulting in the entire liquor trade in Punjab being handed over to two firms, who increased their profit margins as a "quid pro quo".

The withdrawal of renewal forms by the Punjab government suggests that they fear a similar backlash to that seen in Delhi.