As the Bharatiya Janata Party is poised to form a government in Delhi, activist Anna Hazare on February 8 said the Aam Aadmi Party "drowned" due to the liquor policy and its focus on money.
He said the party, led by Arvind Kejriwal, failed to understand its duty to serve people selflessly.
"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 told the media, PTI reported.
"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.
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.
The Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was founded in 2012 following the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) 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.
With PTI inputs
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!