Arbitrary hike in liquor price caused revenue jump in Chhattisgarh: BJP

CHATTISGARH: Chhattisgarh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Arun Sao on Tuesday slammed the Congress government in the state and claimed liquor rates were arbitrarily raised, thus causing an increase in the liquor sale revenue in the state.

Sao also alleged that the Congress government created an ''organised criminal syndicate'' and started selling liquor directly from distillery to shop.

On Monday, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel termed the Enforcement Directorate's claim of decline in revenue collection from liquor in the state as "baseless" and said the data shows a significant rise in revenue collected from liquor sale under the current Congress government as compared to the previous BJP regime.

The ED on Saturday arrested liquor businessman Anwar Dhebar, the brother of Congress leader and Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, in connection with the alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh.

In its remand application filed in a special court, the ED had claimed there was a ''massive scam'' in the liquor trade in Chhattisgarh by a syndicate, comprising high-level state government officials, private persons and political executives.

It also claimed the scam generated corruption money of more than Rs 2,000 crore between 2019-22.

Speaking to reporters at the state BJP headquarters here on Tuesday, Sao said, ''The chief minister's statement about liquor sale is completely baseless. You (current Congress government) had arbitrarily increased the liquor rates. Also, you were once opposing the liquor policy but are now following it.''

During the BJP's rule, there were no two separate counters (for liquor sale), he said.

''You (Congress) created an organised criminal syndicate and started selling liquor directly from distillery to shop, used fake holograms to sell liquor thereby putting the health and lives of people in danger,'' Sao claimed.

Baghel on Monday said it was the previous Raman Singh-led BJP government's decision to sell liquor through a corporation in 2017 in the state.

''No change was made in distilleries, officers, transporters and placement agencies linked to the liquor trade in the state since 2017. The revenue collection from liquor increased from Rs 3,900 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 6,000 crore in 2022-23 which clearly shows that the ED's claim of decline in revenue collection due to alleged corruption is baseless," the CM said.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has conducted audits of the state's excise department and given it a clean chit, he claimed.