Veteran activist Anna Hazare has criticised Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal for opening liquor vends during his tenure as Delhi Chief Minister, stating that the people punished him for it in the recent elections.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Hazare remarked that Kejriwal had been performing well but had lost public trust due to his excise policy.
“The earlier CM (Kejriwal) was doing a good job and became Delhi chief minister thrice. I did not speak anything (against him) as he was doing a good job. But then, he slowly started opening liquor vends and issuing licences. Then I got upset,” said Hazare, a staunch opponent of liquor consumption and sale.
Kejriwal, once Hazare’s associate in the anti-corruption movement, parted ways with him in 2012 to establish the AAP. Hazare’s movement is widely regarded as the foundation of the party’s inception.
Also read: 'Was saying for long...AAP didn’t understand': Hazare slams Kejriwal
Hazare hailed the appointment of Rekha Gupta as Delhi’s new Chief Minister, stating that her election was a “matter of pride” and a recognition of her “pure thoughts and deeds.”
In the Delhi Assembly elections earlier this month, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ousted AAP from power, with Kejriwal losing his own seat.
The controversy surrounding the AAP government’s 2021-22 excise policy has been a focal point of allegations by central agencies.
Both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have alleged irregularities in the policy’s modification and undue favours granted to licence holders. The policy was later scrapped.
Also read: Anna Hazare must feel relief after AAP’s defeat, quips PM Modi
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