Kolkata, June 7: Amit Malviya, head of the IT cell for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and central observer for West Bengal, made serious allegations against the former Trinamool Congress (TMC) government regarding a purported liquor excise scam on Sunday.
Malviya referenced a media report claiming that the state’s excise department altered liquor policies to illegally collect money from bottle manufacturers for every shipment of liquor and beer. He alleged that the thousands of crores collected from this extortion reached the TMC and its general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee.
Posting on the social media platform X, Malviya stated, “After the Delhi liquor excise scam, it’s now Bengal’s turn. The excise department changed the policy to extort money from bottle manufacturers for every shipment of liquor and beer. This amount, running into thousands of crores, reached the TMC and Abhishek Banerjee.”
According to media reports, the liquor policy was revised during the tenure of the previous TMC government in 2017, establishing government control over liquor distribution. It is alleged that the new excise policy pressured private wholesalers with heavy fees and levies.
A confidential report from the excise department indicated that this policy was implemented under the guise of preventing cartelization, increasing transparency, ensuring equal availability of liquor across the state, and providing consumers with more choices.
The report has reportedly been presented to West Bengal’s Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal, and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has also been informed about the matter.
The report alleges that the distribution system was designed not only to increase government revenue but also to fund the TMC. It claims that a portion of the distributors’ profits did not reach the government treasury but instead went to the TMC.
According to the report, an additional charge of 4 rupees per crate was levied under the guise of warehouse rent, along with 3 rupees for transportation. Foreign liquor manufacturers and bottling companies were coerced into paying these fees, which allegedly were funneled to Abhishek Banerjee.
However, there has been no immediate official response from the TMC regarding these allegations.
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