'No compensation to those who died': Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on hooch tragedy deaths
Bihar hooch tragedy: The Chief Minister's remarks came as the death toll in the dry state's Saran district surpassed 50. The high number of deaths allegedly caused by consuming spurious liquor has sparked a political storm in the state, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) urging Nitish Kumar to reconsider Bihar's liquor prohibition policy.
FollowBihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday (December 16) said that his government will not provide compensation to the people who died after consuming liquor in response to the Opposition's criticism over the hooch tragedy, which claimed 50 lives until now.
While speaking at the Assembly, Kumar said, "No compensation will be given to people who died after drinking... We have been appealing; if you drink, you will die...those who talk in favour of drinking will not bring any good to you."
The Chief Minister's comment came as the death toll in the hooch tragedy in the Chhapra area of the dry state's Saran district advanced to 50.
This is the second time in the week the chief minister has warned of death to those who consume alcohol; previously, he reasoned that in a state where liquor was banned, the products available were likely to be spurious, and thus people should avoid consuming them.
On Wednesday, the CM hit out at critics for his 'no liquor' stance and shouted at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs entering the House Well. "You are making a mistake by opposing liquor prohibition. This cannot be tolerated... simply remove all of these individuals," he said.
On Friday, Leader of the Opposition Vijay Sinha led a march to Governor Phagu Chauhan's residence in Bihar to protest against the hooch tragedy in the state. The march comes a day after Sinha and another top BJP leader, ex-deputy chief minister Sushil Modi, who was once close to chief minister Nitish Kumar, ripped into the ruling Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal-led government; Sinha accused them of hiding the death toll by burning bodies, while Modi demanded that the CM apologise for his 'sharabi' remarks.
The tragedy of the hooch sparked a massive political brawl in the state. The opposition quickly blamed the Nitish Kumar led-state government for the current situation.
The Nitish Kumar government banned the sale and consumption of alcohol in Bihar in April 2016, though implementation has been patchy.
Also read: 'If you drink, you'll die': Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on hooch tragedy deaths
Also read: Bihar hooch tragedy death toll rises to 20; triggers prohibition politics
Also read: 'Arey, tum bol rahe ho…': Bihar CM Nitish Kumar loses cool as BJP questions liquor ban
