AAP ‘drowned’ due to liquor policy, focus on money: Anna Hazare

As the BJP is poised to form a government in Delhi, activist Anna Hazare on Saturday said the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP “drowned” due to the liquor policy and its focus on money, failing to understand its duty to serve people selflessly.

The BJP is poised to form a government in Delhi after more than 26 years, with the latest Election Commission trends showing the saffron party ahead in 45 of the 70 assembly seats and AAP in 25.

“With the liquor policy issue came the money and they drowned in it. The (AAP’s) image was tarnished. People saw he (Arvind Kejriwal) talks about clean character and then about liquor,” Hazare, who led the anti-corruption movement in 2011, told reporters.

The Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was founded in 2012 following the anti-corruption movement.

“AAP lost as it failed to understand the need to serve people selflessly and took the wrong path. Money took the front seat which dented AAP’s image, leading to its defeat,” Hazare said.

Kejriwal is known to be Hazare’s protege but the two parted ways after the former formed the AAP in 2012.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22, and undue favours extended to licence holders.

The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.