After Bihar’s hooch tragedy toll climbed to 26, and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday made a controversial matter of fact statement that if people drink spurious liquor they will die, his liquor ban policy came under sharp attack from the Opposition and even one of the allies of the Bihar’s ruling Grand Alliance backed the demand to end the prohibition.
Unfazed by his growing criticism for the failure of the liquor ban, Nitish quipped that “jo piyega woh marega”(those who drink spurious alcohol will die), and defended the liquor ban law saying that prohibition was “not my personal wish but a response to the cries of the women of the State”.
He said when he brought in prohibition had won praise from many women’s groups who felt it would save their men-folk from the “curse of drunkenness and save homes from financial ruin”.
He also expressed displeasure over criticisms from the Opposition BJP which has raised the issue “even inside Parliament”. The BJP MPs from Bihar raised the hooch tragedy issue in Lok Sabha on Thursday and demanded “immediate action against the Bihar Government” and sending of a central team there to review situation in the State.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, BJP’s Paschim Champaran MP Sanjay Jaiswal claimed spurious liquor sale has been flourishing in Bihar under the protection of police officers despite a prohibition in place. But the Chief Minister does not take any action against any of them, he charged.
BJP’s Aurangabad MP Sushil Kumar Singh termed the hooch tragedy deaths as “mass murder” and held the Bihar Government responsible for it. “There is no hope from Bihar Government,” he said.
“More than 15 such incidents have taken place so far. But he (the Chief Minister) says those who drink liquor would die or go to jail, and those selling the poisonous liquor would become his party’s candidate to contest elections on his party ticket,” Jaiswal alleged.
“I urge the Central Government to take cognizance of the (prevailing) law-and-order situation and also take immediate action against the Mahagathbandhan Government of Bihar which is responsible for the murder of 37 people (in hooch tragedy),” he demanded.
BJP’s MP from Saran Rajiv Pratap Rudy also hit out at the Bihar Government over the issue and demanded that the Union Home Ministry send a Central team without any delay to take stock of the ground situation in the State.
He also demanded that the Home Ministry call for a report from the State, alleging that the Bihar Government has “completely failed” in fulfilling its responsibility.
The BJP MP claimed that the death toll in the hooch tragedy has gone up to reach 52 and the numbers may further increase.
After Rudy raised the issue, some Opposition members pointed out there have been deaths in hooch tragedy in Uttar Pradesh also in the past, asking the BJP MPs why these incidents are not being highlighted in the House.
Meanwhile, Civil surgeon and medical officer in charge Dr Sagar Dulal Sinha who confirmed that the number of people dead from consuming the illicitly brewed liquor has increased to 26 from 21 on Wednesday, said deaths were being reported from those homes who had not reported hooch-related illness earlier out of fear of landing on the wrong side of the law.
While the Opposition BJP continued to create a ruckus inside the Assembly for the second consecutive day over the Saran hooch tragedy, the CPI (ML)-L which supports the “Mahagathbandhan” Government staged a demonstration outside before the commencement of proceedings, demanding a “review” of draconian provisions of the prohibition law and monetary compensation to the bereaved family members.
Backing the demand to end liquor ban policy poll strategist Prashant Kishor, a former confidant of the Chief Minister, demanded that the prohibition law be scrapped. He termed it as a “stupid” step and suggested allowing “regulated” sale of alcohol besides sustained social awareness campaigns to dissuade people from consuming all types of intoxicants.
“Bihar has become a laughing stock because of prohibition. The law should be repealed forthwith. It is high time that all political parties, be it Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the BJP which shared power with him for years, and the RJD of Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav gave up their hypocrisy and took a decision without worrying about votes,” Kishor fumed at a press conference in Sheohar district.
“The current law must be withdrawn at the earliest and a middle ground should be found. Those who drink inside their homes without creating a nuisance in public should not be penalised,” he added.
However, in the State Capital, on the sidelines of a function organised on the occasion of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel’s death anniversary, Kumar told reporters: “Prohibition has been of immense benefit to the society. I wonder how people are speaking against it”.
“I am aghast at a link being drawn between hooch deaths and prohibition. People die upon consuming spurious liquor even in states where there is no ban on alcohol,” claimed the septuagenarian.
However, CPI(ML)-L MLA Sandeep Saurabh, who staged a demonstration outside the Vidhan Sabha along with other party MLAs, said, “Despite best intentions, the prohibition law has led to unwarranted consequences. The poor are being hit the worst. Consumption of liquor has been made a criminal offence, a reason why family members of hooch victims do not get any ex-gratia. This has to change. The law must be reviewed.”
Anti-Government slogans by BJP MLAs greeted the Chief Minister when he reached the Assembly. The party, which has an axe to grind against the JD(U) leader, who abruptly snapped ties in August, tried to disrupt proceedings with many of its members entering the well, carrying placards and posters and raising slogans.
Speaker Awadh Bihari Chaudhary got posters and placards snatched away with the help of marshals and went ahead with the proceedings, unfazed by the relentless shouting of slogans by the BJP MLAs.
The slogan-shouting continued till noon when the BJP members staged a walkout alleging that the Speaker was “taking the side of the ruling dispensation”.
