Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT Cell Chief and central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, on Sunday, 7 June alleged that the previous All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) government ran a large-scale liquor excise scam, extorting money from bottlers on every crate of liquor and routing the proceeds to the party and its General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The allegations, based on a media report and a purported confidential Excise Department document, draw direct comparisons to the Delhi liquor excise scam.

What the Allegations Claim

According to the media report cited by Malviya, West Bengal's liquor distribution policy was allegedly altered in 2017, purportedly at the behest of the then-TMC government. The revised policy reportedly enabled the state to monopolise liquor distribution by squeezing out private wholesalers and replacing them with state-aligned distributors.

A charge of ₹4 per crate as godown rental and ₹3 per crate as transport cost was allegedly imposed on bottlers and foreign liquor manufacturers. Critics argue these levies were inflated and that the proceeds, which should have entered the government exchequer, were instead allegedly funnelled to Trinamool Congress and Banerjee personally.

The Confidential Excise Report

A confidential report by the Excise Department — reportedly tabled with West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal — is said to have examined how the distributor policy was structured. The report allegedly found that the policy was framed in the name of averting cartelisation, ensuring transparency, and promoting equitable access to liquor across the state, but was in practice designed to siphon revenue away from the government.

Notably, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has also reportedly been briefed on the findings of this report, signalling that the issue may be escalated through official channels.

BJP's Political Framing

In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Malviya drew an explicit parallel: 'After the Delhi Liquor Excise scam, it is now Bengal's turn. The Excise Department altered policy and bottlers were extorted on every crate of liquor and beer. The proceeds, amounting to thousands of crores, found their way to the Trinamool Congress and Abhishek Banerjee.'

This comes amid a broader BJP campaign to target opposition-ruled or formerly opposition-ruled states on corruption narratives, following the political fallout from the Delhi excise case. The Bengal allegations, if substantiated, could intensify pressure on the TMC ahead of the next electoral cycle.

What Happens Next

The Trinamool Congress has not yet issued a formal response to the specific allegations as of the time of this report. With the confidential Excise Department findings now reportedly in the hands of the Chief Secretary and the Chief Minister, a formal investigation or inquiry cannot be ruled out. Whether the BJP pursues the matter through the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or other central agencies — as it did in the Delhi case — remains to be seen.