Delhi Government’s recently announced liquor policy has come under scrutiny with critics and opponents terming it ill-conceived and ill-opted, aimed at increasing its revenues and profits. Technically, fixing the age limit to 21 wasn’t that controversial as for renewing, privatising and standardising liquor vends in residential than commercial spaces leading to apprehensions and anxiety between the common and ordinary.
Shouldn’t the AAP sarkar consider the opinion of experts and lawmakers before arriving at this legislative piece of adventurism? With Delhi being a union territory and a semi-state the lieutenant governor should step in desisting at the first instance.
Article 239 AA empowers the council of ministers to communicate all important cabinet decisions to his offices for aid and advice but when it came to amending and bending the liquor policies at atleast somebody should have taken cognisance of it. LG being the administrative head has every right to claim and counter any provision which is not in the best faith of the constitution if has forgotten its roles, rights and duties.
However, with the matter sub judice in courts, the lordships will closely be looking at this angle as in the previous few years a lot of trade and tussle over who actually governs Delhi has made for all the chaos, contrasts, conflicts and contradictions with the Centre and Delhi sarkar finding them in a fix from schemes to SOPS aiming at the welfare and wellbeing of the oppressed and downtrodden.
Apart from the courts, the centre should constitute a task force of retired officers and bureaucrats debating and drafting guidelines on which policies and programmes can be jointly dealt with by both parties as legislation ought to be the subject of the public good, regardless of anything and everything.