Veteran Congress leader Abdul Jalil Mastan dies at 70

Six-time Amour MLA and former Bihar minister Abdul Jalil Mastan died at AIIMS New Delhi after prolonged illness.

Veteran Congress leader and former Bihar minister Abdul Jalil Mastan passed away at AIIMS, New Delhi, late on Saturday evening. Six-time MLA from his native constituency Amour falling in Purnea district, he was the minister of prohibition and excise in the Bihar grand alliance government led by Nitish Kumar in 2015, and a year later, the liquor ban was introduced in 2016.

Mastan was 70 and was undergoing treatment for a prolonged illness at AIIMS, New Delhi. (Credits:MyNeta)

Mastan was 70 and was undergoing treatment for a prolonged illness at AIIMS, New Delhi.

The leader, who started his political career in the 80s, won Amour seat for the first time in 1985 as an independent candidate, and later he joined the Congress party and remained with the party till his last breath. He won the Amour seats in 1985, 1990, 2000, 2005 (February), 2005 (October) and 2015. In 2015, he was appointed minister of prohibition and excise, and the government imposed total prohibition in Bihar in 2016.

Expressing shock over the demise of the leader, Purnea district vice-president, Birendra Nath Jha, said, “Abdul Jalil Mastan was an out-and-out Congress party worker, and his life will continue to inspire the Congress party in the area.” He said that the last rites and burial for the departed leader would be performed with Islamic traditions at his native place, Sirsi, on Monday. “The body of the departed leader is being brought back to his native village,” he informed.

Leaders from various political parties expressed deep sorrow and offered condolences on his demise. “He was the leader who had no ill-will for anyone irrespective of their party affiliations,” Amour MLA and Bihar president of AIMIM Akhatarul Iman said, declaring him the ‘leader of the masses.’

Former MLA Saba Zafar said, “We had different ideologies, but we worked together for the development of the flood-prone constituency.”

Senior Congress leader BK Thakur and party leaders to follow the example of Mastan, who was a leader of the poor.