New Delhi [India] January 11 : After the Comptroller and Auditor General report on the Delhi government's excise policy revealed a "revenue loss of Rs 2,026 crore" and that AAP leaders "benefited from kickbacks," BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Saturday said the CAG has "declared Arvind Kejriwal corrupt."
The report's findings stated that there were deviations from the objective of the policy, a lack of transparency in pricing, and violations in issuing licenses that were not penalised. The CAG report also alleged that AAP leaders benefited from kickbacks.
"CAG has revealed the whole story of the corruption of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, who has played the role of a broker by destroying the happiness of Delhi... This is the same CAG report which Arvind Kejriwal used to wave in 2013 to fight against Sheila Dikshit and today the same CAG report has declared Arvind Kejriwal corrupt," Tiwari told ANI.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao also slammed Kejriwal and said that the countdown of the AAP government has started.
"Today Aam Aadmi Party is completely frustrated, disappointed and in frustration Aam Aadmi Party leaders are saying such things. The countdown of their government has started and the people of Delhi want to get rid of that government... Congress Party did not take care of the people of the country, so Congress Party is moving towards its end," Arun Sai said in Raipur reacting on the CAG report.
A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the Delhi government's excise policy revealed a revenue loss of Rs 2,026 crore to the state exchequer.
Of the losses worth Rs 2,026 crore to the state exchequer, the loss of Rs 890 crore resulted from the government's failure to re-tender the surrendered licenses before the policy period concluded, according to the report. Moreover, exemptions granted to the zonal licenses led to the loss of Rs 941 crore.
"The Department was issuing licenses without checking various requirements relating to Excise Rules and Terms and Conditions for the issue of different types of licenses. It was observed that licenses were issued without ensuring solvency, submission of audited financial statements, submission of data regarding sales and wholesale price declared in other states and across the year, verification of criminal antecedents from the competent authority etc.," the executive summary of the CAG report read.
According to the report, the loss to the exchequer was largely because of sub-optimal implementation, which resulted in failure to achieve policy objectives.