Patna, (Samajweekly) Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) President, Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, on Sunday hit out at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for “non-implementation” of the prohibition laws in the state. Ruling NDA constituents such as Vikaasheel Insaan Party and the Hindustani Awam Morcha too questioned “ineffective” enforcement of the anti-liquor laws.
Yadav on Sunday met victims of spurious liquor tragedy that had claimed five lives, including four of a family in in Muzzafarpur district’s Dargah village on February 18.
“It was extremely painful when we met the deceased families. They belong to poor sections of society and their sole bread earner has left them,” he said while giving a financial aid of Rs 45,000 in cash to dependents of the deceased.
“Non-implementation of liquor laws allow the smuggling of spurious liquor in Bihar. The liquor mafias involved in this business operate in the state without any fear of the law and are playing with the lives of poor people. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar imposed liquor law in Bihar but is unable to implement it on the ground. As a result, the entire state is facing the consequences of his mistakes. He should be held accountable for this menace,” Yadav added.
“I have strongly demanded that the state government sack those police officials having links with the liquor mafias or they will be unable to implement liquor prohibition laws in Bihar,” he said.
The victims have been identified as Ajay Manjhi, Ram Chandra Manjhi, Vinod Manjhi and Ajay Manjhi, all of one family. The fifth deceased was a native of the adjoining Barwadih village.
Earlier on Saturday, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister and VIP chief Mukesh Sahani also raised doubts over the implementation of liquor prohibition law in the state and questioned the role of police officials is under the scanner.
“The callous attitude of the police officials is responsible for the ineffective implementation of the liquor prohibition law,” he said.
VIP spokesperson Rajiv Mishra said: “The state government is losing huge amount of revenue due to this law. Moreover, its ineffective implementation is taking lives of common man.”
Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) President and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi expressed sorrow and pain over the deaths due to consumption of alleged spurious liquor in Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj and Kaimur districts in the last 10 days.
Hae demanded that a murder case should be registered against the liquor mafias and strict action must be taken against the errant police officials.
