Empty liquor bottles on found in Bihar assembly premises, barbs fly

The liquor bottles were found under a tree in the area earmarked as parking lot for two-wheelers, officials said.

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar faced acute embarrassment on Tuesday following the recovery of empty bottles of liquor in legislature premises of the state where a total ban on liquor was imposed in April 2016.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav at the spot where empty liquor bottles were found, at Bihar Assembly in Patna on Tuesday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

The bottles were found under a tree in the area earmarked as parking lot for two-wheelers, officials said.

Leader of the opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav raised the matter in the post lunch session of the state assembly, saying it was outrageous.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar informed the house that he was not aware of recovery of liquor bottles on the premises of the state legislature and said a probe could be ordered on permission from Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha to ascertain how the liquor bottles found their way inside the legislature premises and who all were involved.

“We will ask the state police chief and chief secretary to carry a through inquiry,” he said.

In response, Yadav said, “Please ensure that lower-level officials are not made scapegoats and the big fish do not go unpunished.”

Sources said the chief minister held a meeting with director general of police S K Singhal and chief secretary Tripurari Sharan in the assembly in the afternoon. In the evening, the DGP told reporters that the place where empty bottles were recovered was not under CCTC coverage but all angles were being probed.

Yadav accused the government of failing to implement the liquor ban. “This is outrageous. The spot is less than 100 metres away from the chief minister’s chamber. Only yesterday, the chief minister presided over a farce wherein NDA legislators took the pledge, inside the central hall here, against liquor consumption. Within 24 hours, liquor bottles have been found in the same premises,” the leader of opposition told reporters later outside the house.

“Prohibition in Bihar is a total failure and administering oath not to drink liquor to people is all a sham.The government will not give a logical reply and dub the entire episode of recovery of liquor bottle in the assembly premises as a conspiracy by the opposition. The chief minister must resign as he is also the home minister,” Yadav said.

Yadav’s party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other opposition parties, including the Congress, have been critical of the state government, especially for the last one month over which the state has seen 40 alleged hooch deaths in Gopalganj, West Champaran and Muzaffarpur districts.

Two MLAs exchange expletives in public

The state assembly premises on Tuesday witnessed unsavoury scenes when RJD legislator Bhai Virendra and BJP’s Sanjay Sarougi indulged in an ugly spat,exchanging expletives in full view of media persons before the assembly sat for the day.

Reports said the trouble started when Bhai Virendra passed a caustic comment against Sarougi, calling him a person having adulterated roots. The latter hit back, accusing Virendra of being corrupt. The spat soon turned ugly and both the legislators started hurling expletives before they were pacified.