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New Delhi: While Delhi residents gear up for the festivities, the liquor stores across the national capital will remain operational during the upcoming Holi celebrations, as per the following a policy shift by the state government.

Under a directive issued in January, the "Festival of Colours" has been removed from the city's official list of dry days, ending the traditional holiday closure for alcohol retail outlets.

What January notification read?

The January notification specified that Republic Day, Maha Shivratri, Id-ul-Fitr, Ram Navami, and Mahavir Jayanti would be observed as 'dry days' for the first quarter of the year. 

This list, covering the January-March period, notably excluded Holi, marking a departure from previous years when the festival of colors was typically a non-sale day. 

According to the directive, liquor store owners are not entitled to any financial compensation for the mandatory closures on designated dry days. 

Furthermore, the order clarifies that these restrictions do not extend to licensed hotels and guesthouses, which remain permitted to serve alcohol to their resident guests.

AAP vs BJP

Historically, Holi has typically been observed as a "dry day" in Delhi to maintain law and order during the high-spirited celebrations. 

The only major exception occurred in 2022 under the Aam Aadmi Party's previous excise policy, which slashed the annual dry day count to just three. 

Following that period, the city returned to its traditional closures; however, the recent January directive marks a significant shift by once again removing Holi from the restricted list.

Ironically, the BJP, which currently oversees the administration and has omitted Holi from the "dry days" list, had previously criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for taking a similar approach. 

When the AAP government initially reduced the number of restricted days in 2022, BJP leaders had strongly condemned the move, making the current policy a notable reversal of their earlier stance.