BJP attacks Nitish govt in Bihar Assembly over hooch tragedies

The hooch tragedy in Bihar’s Saran has so far claimed over 50 lives and two more suspected spurious liquor cases were reported from Siwan and Begusarai

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar on Friday used its time slot in the state assembly for debate on the second supplementary budgetary demand of the rural development department to attack the Nitish Kumar government over the hooch tragedy in Saran, which has so far claimed over 50 lives, and two more suspected spurious liquor cases reported from Siwan and Begusarai despite continued prodding from the Chair to stick to the subject of discussion.

The BJP legislators staged a walkout in the Bihar Assembly for the third day. (Photo by Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

As the discussion started, Speaker Awadh Bihari Choudhary straightaway moved to the treasury benches, as the BJP leaders were protesting in the well, raising demand for discussion on the latest Siwan hooch tragedy and the Saran incident. “This is from your area. How can this go on?” asked leader of Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha, demanding judicial probe into the Saran incident.

However, the Speaker did not allow it and started with the listed business, moving towards the treasury benches. When senior BJP leader Nand Kishore Yadav insisted that as per rules, the leader of Opposition should be given the opportunity to initiate the discussion, the Speaker asked the LoP to first bring the House in order and ask the legislators in the well to take their seats. When it was complied, the LoP started the discussion on the second supplementary budget of around ₹4,200 crore, which was later passed without the Opposition’s presence, but kept speaking on hooch tragedies and deaths.

The Speaker kept interjecting that the LoP should stick to rural development department and not deviate, but to no avail.

“This is a far more important issue. Rural development has taken a back seat due to such incidents happening at regular intervals. When the government will not listen, the Opposition will have to raise it at every possible opportunity. In a dry state, how do all kinds of intoxicants reach villages? Who is responsible for the orphaned children and widows? Is it not the responsibility of the government to give these families relief? If liquor and intoxicants are reaching villages, it is because of the systemic failure. Police is failing the government. The CM (chief minister) is the home minister also. Why does he not own the responsibility?” Sinha said continuing his speech despite interjections from the Speaker to stick to the subject.

Sinha said that the development of villages was necessary, but it was possible only when the villagers could be safe. “Corruption is rampant in the state and nothing happens without speed money. The jal-nal scheme of the department is a living testimony to corruption, while black marketing of seeds and fertilisers is happening unabated. But now the biggest challenge is the failure of prohibition in the state and the ‘carnage’ due to spurious liquor. Deputy CM Tejaswhi Prasad Yadav had himself been vocal about it when in opposition and he was the Speaker. But he is quiet now, but the BJP cannot do it. Poor are dying and they are also going to jail,” he said.

After consuming their time, the BJP staged a walkout for the third day.

Rural development minister Shravan Kumar, giving the government’s reply, said that the LoP should have done well to stick to the subject, but he kept harping on the hooch tragedy without throwing light on huge casualties due to spurious liquor in the BJP-ruled states. “Perhaps, he had nothing to say on rural development, as that will expose him. For Bihar, the Centre has been delaying payment of funds due to the state - be it for MNREGA or other schemes. The state has been carrying on programmes with its own funds,” he added.

Presenting the Bihar Appropriation (No.4) Bill, 2022 for additional expenditure of ₹1,9027.80 crore, which was passed in the absence of Opposition, Vijay Kumar Choudhary said that the behaviour of the Opposition to drift from the topic of discussion was surprising. “I wonder if they are aware of their Constitutional responsibility by avoiding discussion on important legislative business. The state is suffering because of the faulty centrally-sponsored schemes, which are consistently reducing Centre’s share and affecting the state’s financial autonomy. If the Centre wants to run its own schemes, it should give 100% funding for them and allow the states to have flexibility to choose their own priorities. We have come up with second supplementary to meet the shortfalls due to fund shortage for central schemes due to delayed arrival of the Centre’s share,” he added.

At the fag end of the second half, Congress MLA Shakeel Ahmad Khan cited an unknown portal’s news he has received on his mobile that liquor bottles have been recovered from the residence of samadhi of LoP Vijay Kumar Sinha and asked the chair to get it inquired. With the chief minister also present in the House, the Speaker said he would take cognisance.