Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said, "jo piyega woh marega" (those who drink spurious alcohol will die), as the hooch toll in Saran district increased to 26.
The Opposition BJP slammed him for his insensitive remarks and raised the hooch tragedy in Parliament and the Bihar Assembly. Allies of Kumar's Janata Dal (United) demanded a "review" of prohibition in the state.
Kumar said prohibition in Bihar was "not my personal wish, but a response to the cries of the women of the state" and immensely benefitted the society.
The CPI(ML) Liberation, which supports the Mahagathbandhan government, demonstrated outside the Assembly before the commencement of proceedings, demanding a "review" of the draconian provisions of the prohibition law and monetary compensation to bereaved family members.
CPI(ML)-L MLA Sandeep Saurabh said, "Despite best intentions, the prohibition law has led to unwarranted consequences. The poor are the worst hit. Consumption of liquor has been made a criminal offence, a reason why family members of hooch victims do not get any compensation. This has to change. The law must be reviewed."
Anti-government slogans by BJP MLAs greeted the chief minister when he reached the Assembly. In New Delhi, BJP Lok Sabha MPs termed the hooch tragedy deaths as "mass murder" and urged the Centre to take immediate action against the Bihar government.
However, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav backed Kumar. He said BJP-ruled states had the worst track records regarding spurious liquor deaths. He said Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka stood at the top in the number of hooch deaths, while even Gujarat, a dry state, fared much worse than Bihar, citing a statement by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in Parliament on July 19.
BJP leader Sushil Modi said the illegal trade of liquor had become a "parallel economy." But he said the BJP supports prohibition and that its leaders' demand for a rethink on the policy is related to sorting out problems in its implementation.