‘Huge quantity of liquor’ found in JD(U) leader’s home, say cops. He says… | Latest News India

Bihar Police said Tuesday they had recovered ‘a huge quantity’ of liquor from a house in Chhapra registered in the name of Janata Dal (United) leader Kameshwar Singh and had taken two persons – tenants Saroj Mahto and his wife – into custody. Singh, a member of the ruling JD(U), told news agency ANI he had no connection with the house and claimed a ‘conspiracy to defame our government’. “I came to know about this through the media. I left that house 32 years ago. It should be investigated… who kept those bottles there?” he said.

The liquor seizure comes amid political controversy surrounding (yet) another round of deaths due to consumption of spurious liquor in the nominally dry state; Saran district, where Chhapra is located, has reported over 70 liquor-related deaths, according to media reports.

The seizure also comes days after Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav said 108 cartons of liquor had been recovered from a house belonging to a relative of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vijay Sinha.

READ | ‘108 cartons of liquor from BJP leader’s…’: Tejashwi Yadav

The deputy CM also accused BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Haryana of pushing cheap liquor into Bihar, where a prohibition law has been in (patchy) effect since April 2016.

The fake liquor controversy has roiled the winter session of the Assembly, with under-fire chief minister Nitish Kumar lashing out at critics and Yadav yesterday demanding the BJP – formerly an ally of the ruling JD(U) – make its position on prohibition clear to voters.

“If they want to end the liquor ban… they should say it clearly,” Yadav said, hitting back at senior BJP leaders Sushil Modi (a former deputy CM) and union minister RK Singh, both of whom have accused the Nitish Kumar government of hiding the true number of deaths.

An embattled Nitish Kumar lost his cool in the Assembly this week, declaring ‘peeyoge to maroge (if you drink, you will die)’ to his critics.

READ | ‘No compensation’: Nitish on Bihar hooch deaths, tragedy

The remark drew predictable heat from the BJP, which also cornered the chief minister after he said the families of those killed will not receive compensation; Sushil Modi was quick to remind him he had earlier offered ₹4 lakh.

READ | ‘He promised…’: Sushil Modi slams Nitish on compensation

The BJP claims over 100 have died across Bihar so far, with deaths reported from Saran, Siwan and Begusarai districts. The state government, however, has confirmed only 38 liquor-related deaths; excise minister Sunil Kumar said yesterday this figure was based on ‘conversation with concerned officials’.

Meanwhile, a team of officials from the National Human Rights Commission reached Saran district to conduct a probe, and that drew a sharp response from Tejashwi Yadav, who claimed the central agency’s aim was to spread ‘propaganda’ about the ruling government.

With input from agencies