PATNA: As the death toll of Saran hooch tragedy mounted to 40 on Thursday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar defended his government and said that who drink alcohol will die. Meanwhile, opposition BJP remained adamant on his resignation.
On Thursday, Saran’s district magistrate Rajesh Meena confirmed only 26 deaths, but unofficial sources put the toll at more than 40. Sources said that a large number of people have also lost their vision after consuming the spurious liquor. At least 10 people are undergoing treatment at Saran district hospital and Patna Medical College Hospital.
At least 51 suspects have been taken into custody for questioning. A day after losing his temper in the state assembly after BJP MLAs started raising questions on the hooch tragedy, Nitish told newspersons, “Those who consume liquor will die. People should be careful.”
“Last time, when people lost their lives after consuming spurious liquor, someone said they should be compensated. If someone consumes liquor, they’ll die. An example is before us,” he said. Nitish said that while many people in the state had stopped consuming alcohol following enforcement of the prohibition. He said that some troublemakers were still left, adding that he had directed officials to identify the actual guilty and nab them.
Echoing Nitish’s views, deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav said, “What the CM means to say that a wrong deed has unwarranted consequences. It is also not proper to link hooch deaths with prohibition. Even in states where liquor is not banned, hooch tragedies do take place”.
Countering the attack launched by BJP over the deaths in the hooch tragedy, Tejashwi contended that the track records of BJP-ruled states were worst in terms of hooch tragedies while quoting a statement given by Union Minister of State for Home in the Parliament on July 19.
“The Union Minister while quoting NCRB data had stated that between 2016 and 2020, Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of 1,214 hooch deaths followed by Karnataka where the number was 909. Both states are ruled by the BJP,” Tejashwi added. Even the dry state of Gujarat fared much worse than Bihar, he contended.
“Will BJP leaders ask CMs of their party-ruled states to step down as they are asking Nitish Kumar,” the deputy chief minister countered. He asserted that BJP had no moral right to speak on the issue of violation of prohibition and pointed out the alleged involvement of former minister Ram Surat Rai’s brother in the liquor trade. BJP is apprehensive about its prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and that is the reason it is indulging in all sorts of drama, he added.