"It is a donation from us to the country." : 70 percent increase in liquor price does not bother buyers

After the government decided to resume operations at liquor stores a sea of buyers flooded the stores for the second day in succession.In some places, the police used lathis to control the crowds. A man outside a liquor shop in east Delhi's Krishna Nagar, where the cops lathi-charged the people in the mile-long queues, said he had been waiting outside the shop since 4 am.One of the potential buyers in Delhi reveals the 70 percent increase in price is like a donation from us to the country. In a late-night order on Monday, the Delhi government said it will charge 70 per cent extra tax on liquor from today. 

Calling the new tax "special corona fee", the Arvind Kejriwal government said the police should allow the shops to remain open from 9 am to 6:30 pm. The 70% tax is on the maximum retail price or MRP per bottle. Soon after the shops opened on Monday morning, thousands turned up to stand in long queues and without following social distancing guidelines. This led the authorities to shut many of the shops in no time.  The re-opening of liquor shops has caused a storm across states with a number of celebrities opposing the idea.