Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Thursday attacked chief minister Nitish Kumar over the alleged failure of the liquor ban.
The MP from Godda, Jharkhand alleged that many people in his state are "spoilt" since they supply liquor to Bihar. He further alleged that there is no liquor ban in Bihar, "it is just Nitish Kumar's ego".
"There is no liquor ban in Bihar, it is just Nitish Kumar's ego. Many in my state are spoilt since they supply liquor to Bihar. As I said earlier, he will go home after 2024 and then Bihar will be free," Dubey told ANI.
Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that the death toll in the Hooch tragedy in Bihar's Chhapra region touched 39.
Kumar while talking to media persons today strongly backed the ban on liquor and said that his measures and the state's prohibition policy have benefitted several people and a large number of people have given up drinking alcohol due to his measures.
He stated that the troublemakers will be identified and nabbed.
"A large number of people have given up alcohol...This is good. Several people have happily accepted this. But there are some troublemakers. I have told officers to identify the actual troublemakers and nab them," Nitish Kumar told reporters.
A day after the tragedy unfolded, on Wednesday Chief Minister Nitish Kumar lost his cool in the state assembly when leaders of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked his government over the rising deaths in the spurious liquor incident in Saran district.
Kumar slammed the BJP for protesting the deaths as Leader of Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha questioned the state's liquor ban policy since 2016.
Nitish Kumar lost his temper in the House and screamed at the BJP MLAs ''Sharabi ho gaye ho tum...(you are drunk)"
The sale and consumption of alcohol were banned in Bihar by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016.
( With inputs from ANI )
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