NEW DELHI: Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, reacting to Tejashwi Yadav‘s remark that more people drink alcohol in Bihar than in Maharashtra, said the RJD leader made the claim “because he may be involved in smuggling”.
“Liquor is banned here (in Bihar) but he surely drinks and that is why he knows that unlimited liquor is available here. What can we do if anybody drinks secretly…He must know because he may be involved in smuggling,” Manji told news agency PTI.
Tejashwi Yadav, citing a National Family Health Survey report, had claimed that more people drink alcohol in Bihar than in Maharashtra despite the prohibition.
“Yet according to Nitishji, prohibition is in force in Bihar, what a joke,” he added.
Tejashwi Yadav, who is Nitish Kumar‘s former ally and Bihar’s ex-deputy CM, criticised the NDA government in Bihar over the recent hooch tragedy.
The RJD leader had alleged that “ideological and policy ambiguity of the chief minister, weak will, and dependence on selected officials instead of public representatives, the liquor ban is a super flop in Bihar today”.
Yadav accused the government of major corruption under the guise of the liquor ban, alleging that it has led to the creation of a parallel economy worth Rs 30,000 crores.
Referring to the deaths caused by spurious liquor, Yadav said, “The chief minister who opened liquor shops at every square and intersection of Bihar and took thousands of lives due to spurious liquor in the name of liquor ban is now pretending to be a Mahatma.”
Yadav accused Nitish Kumar of encouraging the sale and consumption of liquor during his earlier tenures. He stated, “chief minister Shri Nitish Kumar took every measure to increase the consumption of liquor in Bihar in his initial 10 years and now he is taking every measure to sell illegal liquor.”
According to Yadav, the number of rural liquor shops increased from under 500 in 2004-05 to 2360 in 2014-15, and state-wide, the number of liquor shops doubled from 3000 to over 6000 in the same period.