New Delhi’s political arena is buzzing with controversy as Holi approaches. The decision to keep liquor shops open on this sacred festival day has sparked fierce backlash from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). While many parts of India enforce dry days during Holi, the national capital’s authorities have opted otherwise, igniting a fresh political firestorm.
AAP leaders are not holding back. They label this move as the dawn of a ‘real liquor scam,’ accusing the ruling dispensation of prioritizing profits over cultural reverence. Manish Sisodia, AAP’s Punjab in-charge and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, issued a scathing statement. ‘The genuine liquor racket has now kicked off in Delhi,’ he declared, questioning if investigative agencies like ED and CBI would dare probe this apparent double standard.
Sisodia pointed to past BJP rhetoric on morality during AAP’s liquor policy saga, contrasting it with today’s leniency. ‘They preached ethics then; now their government flouts them,’ he said, warning of massive revenue gains at the expense of festival spirit.
Echoing the sentiment, Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj took to social media platform X, sharing the government order. He mocked the BJP’s self-proclaimed Hindu credentials: ‘A party that boasts of being Hindu and Sanatan is permitting liquor sales on Holi?’ Bharadwaj highlighted similar lapses on Chhath Puja and Ravidas Jayanti, raising alarms over public safety and law enforcement.
‘What happens to women’s security and social harmony when booze flows freely during festivals?’ he asked, urging the government to prioritize citizen welfare. As Holi nears, this clash underscores deepening divides in Delhi’s politics, with BJP yet to respond in detail. The debate is set to dominate pre-festival discourse, testing the ruling party’s cultural stance.