Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar encouraged people to abstain from drinking alcohol after over 40 people in the state's Saran district died as a result of consuming spurious liquor.
Apart from stating that state's liquor ban must be strictly enforced, the latter also delivered a foreboding warning to the residents of Bihar saying that, "If someone consumes alcohol, they will eventually die, an example of which is in front of us today".
So far, the Saran Hooch catastrophe has claimed the lives of at least 39 individuals with the leaders of BJP bringing up the liquor tragedy in the Parliament on Thursday.
After several lawmakers raised the subject and caused a commotion in the House, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for 15 minutes today. Previously, Nitish Kumar came under fire from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in the state Assembly on Wednesday.
Asserting that the state's prohibition policy has benefited many people and that many individuals have given up drinking as a result of his actions, Kumar defended the liquor ban in Bihar in the state Assembly.
There are occasional troublemakers, but many people have cheerfully embraced the policy of the prohibition of alcohol. I've requested the authorities to find and apprehend the real troublemakers, he stated.
He continued by saying that although he had told the authorities not to arrest the poor, those who manufacture and sell alcohol needed to be apprehended.
As Leader of the Opposition Vijay Sinha questioned the state's policy on the prohibition of alcohol since 2016, the head of Janta Dal (United) also criticized the BJP for protesting the deaths in the Assembly.
Later, opposition members from Bihar staged a protest outside the state Assembly in response to the incident.
