Congress demands dismissal of Modi govt over hooch tragedy

NEW DELHI: Demanding the dismissal of Narendra Modi government over the hooch tragedy in Gujarat, the Congress today sought a probe into the alleged "political and administrative" patronage to the illicit liquor trade in the state.

Congress MPs from Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha led by Ahmad Patel, party president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary, staged a demonstration outside Parliament to protest against the Ahmedabad hooch deaths.

Party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed alleged political and administrative patronage behind the illicit liquor trade.

"Illicitly liquor brewing on such a large scale not only in far flung areas but even in the state capital Ahmedabad shows there must be some administrative or political patronage to it," Ahmed told PTI.

Ahmed demanded that authorities probe this angle saying "the trade flourished in the land of Mahatma Gandhi though prohibition was in place for long. The state has now made a large number of arrests and carrying out raids at hundreds of places. What were they doing uptill now?".

On liquor baron Vijay Mallya's statement against prohibition in the state, the spokesperson said, "it's an insensitive statement. Nobody should try to make business opportunity out of this tragedy".