‘AAP playing liquor politics’

NEW DELHI: Continuing its anti-liquor campaign, Swaraj Abhiyan held a public hearing at northeast Delhi's Khajoori Khas on Tuesday demanding closing of a liquor shop.

Prashant Bhushan, the founder of the

AAP

breakaway group who was present at the jan sunwaai, said residents had complained that the shop was a threat to the women and children with drunk men roaming in the locality after sunset.

Assuring locals that the shop would be shut down, Bhushan said the government said no more liquor shop would open this year, “but what about the ones that opened last year? AAP is playing

politics

by saying that it won't open liquor shops because they are going for polls in Punjab“.

The shop, opened last year, is the fourth liquor vend in the area. An RTI query has revealed that the government had allowed 58 new liquor shops in Delhi in the past year and a half.Black money is being taken to give licences, alleged Bhushan.

Calling the AAP government hypocrite,

Tejpal Rawat

, a resident, said, “While AAP is trying to make Punjab drug-free, it is promoting alcohol in Delhi by opening liquor shops.“

He also slammed local MLA and minister Kapil Mishra for allowing these shops to come up. “People of

Karawal Nagar

thought he would do good for the community .“

Jyoti Sharma (16), whose school is very close to the shop, alleged drunk men slept in the lane outside the school. “We can't go to school because of them. The police have done nothing to help us,“ she said.