PATNA: The politics over the prohibition of alcohol in Bihar has started to gain momentum as the Assembly elections inches closer.
After a challenge by HAM president and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on prohibition, RJD leader Tejashawi Yadav on Thursday openly challenged Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on it.
Earlier, Jitan Ram Manjhi had said that despite the liquor ban in the state, bureaucrats and senior officials were consuming liquor freely.
He had challenged Nitish Kumar to conduct breathalyzer tests on ministers and some bureaucrats, reality of prohibition would come to be known.
Now, Tejashawi Yadav also politically attacked and challenged Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on prohibition. He said through a tweet: "I challenge CM Nitishji to do a random breathalyzer test of his near and dear drunkard leaders and bureaucrats on any given day. Test results will be the results of alcohol ban."
He asked Nitish Kumar to come and apologize for fooling the people on prohibition. "Come on Nitish Ji! Accept your failure or apologize for fooling the people. Your DGP has already accepted it," he tweeted further.
"Do we say more when the DGP himself admits that bootlegging is rampant in Bihar with the blessing of police, ruling politicians and administration? Prohibition remains a grandiose PR exercise by Nitishji. Unmasking has begun now," he said.
Earlier, Jitan Ram Manjhi had also advocated at a public rally that liquor should be consumed as medicine and he has accused the state government of targeting poor people in the name of prohibition.
Recently, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar speaking a national conference in Delhi on ‘Liquor-Free Bharat’ had claimed that around 2.5 lakh people were arrested and 90 lakh liters of liquor were seized since April 5 in 2016 to 2019 by the police in Bihar.
Spokesperson of JD-U Rajiv Ranjan Prasad contradicting Tejashawi Yadav’s statements said that the growing number of tourists only reinforces Nitish Kumar’s idea behind prohibition.
"The prohibition has created healthy and happy Bihar free from the ill-effects of alcohol and propelling the rise of state economy higher every year," he said.