Uttar Pradesh Excise Minister Nitin Agarwal, who stepped into his father’s shoes by entering state politics, is among the younger ministers in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet. The four-time legislator representing Sadar constituency in Hardoi is popular among locals for bringing big investments and boosting employment opportunities in the region.
The 43-year-old BJP leader joined politics after his father was elected to Rajya Sabha. He was also appointed the deputy speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 2021. In an interaction with Manoj Bhadra of The Statesman, the Mr Agarwal spoke extensively about politics and the administration of people.
Q. You are seen as a strict administrator. The state excise department, which was known to be the most corrupt one, has been turned into a money spinner for the government to achieve its target of USD 1 trillion. What have you done to achieve this milestone?
A. Since Yogi Adityanath ji came to power in Uttar Pradesh, everything started changing and corrupt practices diminished. In his second term (from 2022), I was given the charge of the excise department, and the government gave me full independence to create a transparent system, cover loopholes, and boost revenue. We have broken the cartel of liquor mafias and smugglers. The main thrust is to prevent tax evasion, illicit liquor trade, inter-state smuggling and adulteration. We also introduced the track and trace system between distilleries and retail shops. Besides, the new policy has also broken the monopoly of the liquor mafias by obtaining a series of retail outlets and forcing consumers to take their own brands of liquor for their profit.
Q: Earlier, there were reports of people dying due to sale of illicit liquor in the state. But surprisingly such news is rare in UP now.
A: People should be surprised that for the past three-and-a-half years, not a single person has died due to hooch or consuming illicit liquor in the state, which proves our credentials and efforts to provide adulterated free liquor. Till June this year, the state excise department has registered nearly 30,000 cases, seizing over 7.72 lakh litres of illegal alcohol, and arresting 5,559 offenders. Among the arrested, 1,075 have been sent to jail, while authorities have also seized 35 vehicles used in smuggling operations.
Q: Talking about revenue collection, the state excise department has created a record by achieving its target in the first quarter itself. Your comments.
A: Due to effective policies and stringent enforcement in the first quarter (April–June) of FY 2025–26, the department achieved 98.8 per cent of its revenue target, collecting Rs 14,229 crore against the Rs 14,400 crore targets. Compared to Rs 11,783.76 crore collected during the same period last year, this represents a Rs 2,445 crore (20 per cent) increase. In 2025-26, the total revenue target of the excise department is Rs 63,000 crore. You will be surprised to note that the revenue of the first quarter of this fiscal is more that what the department collected in 2016-17, which also shows how government action has changed the entire scenario. Now UP has turned into the largest producer of ethanol and potable liquor. Besides the state also has 10 distilleries, the highest number in the country.
Q: There are reports of large scale inter-state liquor smuggling particularly from Haryana and other adjoining states. Does the government have any plan to stop this? Besides, is there any proposal to launch home delivery of liquor as introduced by some states?
A: We have already brought a proposal to acquire and use scanners to detect liquor on inter-state borders. We have already floated global tenders to purchase the technology either from the US or Israel. But as war broke out in the Middle East, the tender process was delayed. But now the process will be completed soon. There is no proposal before the government to launch home delivery of liquor.
Q: The excise department held its first ever investors meet to woo major liquor companies to set up their distilleries in the state.
A: Yes, we held a day-long excise investors meet in Lucknow on July 9 where investment proposals to the tune of Rs 3,600 crore were signed through MoUs. During the last Investors Meet, the excise department got 46 proposals worth over Rs 7,888 crore, of which 19 units worth over Rs 2,339 crore, have started functioning.
Q: Panchayat polls are round the corner before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls? How is your party planning to win votes?
A: We are prepared for both panchayat and assembly polls. Presently, delimitation work is underway for the panchayat wards. We can assure you that the BJP will fare very well this time in the panchayat polls. In the previous panchayat polls, the elections of district chairman, panchayat members, block pramukh, and block members were held on political symbols, while the election of gram pradhans and gram members were not on political lines.
Q: You maintain there is no challenge to the BJP in the 2027 assembly polls, but can the slogan of PDA by Samajwadi Party, which had dealt a blow to NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, be a hurdle in the path?
A: The slogan of PDA (Pichara, Dalit, Alpansayak) is a farce and mere rhetoric during the Lok Sabha polls and electorates were misled by it. But in 2027, firstly it is a state election and not of the country – the BJP had already countered the aspect of the PDA formula. Everyone knows that SP’s promise of PDA is just a drama – only the Yadavs of the backward community were given the opportunities under that regime. The selection of Yadav candidates by Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) is a glaring example of discrimination of PDA by the Samajwadi Party government.
Q: Will the Azam Khan factor have any impact on Samajwadi Party’s Muslim vote bank? Can the SP-Congress alliance challenge the BJP in 2027?
A: In the first place, Muslim voters were never with Mohammad Azam Khan, they sided with Mulayam Singh Yadav. The opposition Samajwadi Party is today seen as supporters of mafias and goondas. Muslims too have known the real face of the party in the Akhilesh Yadav regime and now they have been termed as a party of Yadavs only. The SP-Congress alliance will have no impact in the 2027 polls as the Congress has no structural base in the state. The Congress is only looking to attract the minorities and it is certain that there will be a tug-of-war between the SP and Congress over seat sharing and other issues before the polls which will certainly benefit NDA. Besides, the double engine government in UP has dealt upon all aspects of people-oriented governance and the glaring example is that around 60 million people have come out of poverty in the state in just 9 years time as per the report of the NITI Aayog.
Q: What have you done for your assembly constituency of Hardoi and how has it been developed in your regime? A. I have set up the country’s only Webley & Scott factory in our district which is manufacturing world class revolvers. Producing units of Berger paints and Bikano Namkeen along with several other small units of other industries have given employment opportunities to the local people. In the past eight years, investment of more than Rs 10,000 crore has been done in our district. Besides, recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a textile park in LucknowHardoi districts, which will also pave the way for more global investments.