BJP MPs target Nitish Kumar over hooch deaths, urge Centre to step in

Many BJP members of the Lok Sabha from Bihar on Thursday mounted an attack on the Nitish Kumar government over the hooch deaths in Saran district, demanded central intervention by sending a fact-finding team to the state and sought "action against" the grand alliance regime. BJP MPs' aggression appeared a combination of their anger over the incident and their simmering bitterness for their estranged ally Kumar.

BJP MP from Saran, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, claimed that the toll had gone up to 52, with many more battling for their lives and accused the state government of complete failure in acting responsibly in dealing with the situation or punishing the cops and officials responsible for the flourishing hootch distribution. "I request the Union home ministry to send a central team without any delay to Bihar to take stock of the ground situation and also call for a report from the state government," Rudy said.

BJP member Sanjay Jaiswal who is also the president of the party's Bihar unit, called the deaths as "state government-sponsored deaths" and hit out at the chief minister.

"It's Bihar government-sponsored murder of 37 people. Spurious liquor is supplied to every household with the help and protection of the police despite prohibition in place. More than 15 such incidents have taken place so far. The CM says those who drink liquor would die or go to jail. Yet, those who sell the poisonous liquor become his party's candidate...The way the chief minister spoke in the assembly on the issue, it seems he has lost his mental balance," Jaiswal said while urging the Centre to take "action against" the Grand Alliance government.