Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis alleged the State Government’s plan to issue new liquor licenses

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday claimed that the Government of Maharashtra had a master plan for issuing 5000 liquor licenses for all the shops and bars and diverging from the predominantly have agreed not to issue such permits from 1973.

 

A tweet was made by the former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis that “after a very long time that is after 48 years for the first time the government do have plans to issue liquor permits” While giving an address in a mock house of 12 legislators who were suspended from the assembly after they created havoc, BJP leader Fadnavis stated that “if these licenses are issued, it would be the biggest and worst scam in the history.

 

A proposal like this has been unsanctioned by all parties when it was first introduced in 1998. According to the information I possess the state finance department has got the proposal to offer licenses at airports, metro stations and to give more licenses in the name of ‘improvement’.  It may be mentioned here that the State Excise Commissioner on a prior basis has proposed a new category of license for the premium liquor shops and bars at Mumbai airport. 

 

The BJP leader further said that “the government has closed the temples but the liquor shops and bars are open, the temple authority has given the surety to follow all Covid 19 norms. We ask the Government of Maharashtra to open the temples as soon as possible because there are people who are into the business of flower shops, sweets, incense sticks and they majorly depend on this for their livelihood. Instead of giving more importance to ‘Madiralayas’, the government should open up the place of worship”