Siwan Hooch tragedy: Pappu Yadav slams Bihar state government over not making law against illicit liquor

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Following the hooch tragedy, Pappu Yadav an independent MP from Purnia expressed his concerns questioning the Bihar state government for not making any law regarding illicit liquor, ANI reported.

"When the government changes the policy from time to time, then why does the government not make any law (regarding illicit liquor)?" Yadav pointed out, ANI cited.

"If I ever come to power, the first thing I will do is to give life imprisonment to the person who manufactures and sells illicit liquor and all the officials in that area will be dismissed," he added.

Earlier, RJD Leader and the former Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav criticised the state's Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar and its Cabinet over the hooch tragedy, and noted that the Chief Minister did not offer any condolences, but rather laughed at the fatalities and made fun of the people and democracy, even though his party was the largest in the NDA coalition.

He further slammed the Bihar CM saying that Kumar did not communicate with any media, public or the victims post-incident.

Gopalganj Superintendent of Police (SP) Awdhesh Dixit on Friday said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is investigating the incident and 14 people have been taken into custody about the hooch tragedy, ANI cited.

SP Gopalganj Awdhesh Dixit said that the police have arrested 14 individuals and conducted raids at more than 200 places.

As per ANI, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the government is working very effectively and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has given directions to the DGP.

The death toll in the state of Bihar has increased to 35, 28 dead in Siwan and 7 dead in Saran district, PTI reported

The alleged hooch tragedy has set off a political blame game, with opposition parties questioning the effectiveness of the Nitish Kumar government's prohibition on the sale and use of alcoholic beverages.

The opposition has criticised the government of Bihar claiming that its policy to ban liquor has failed.

"Liquor ban is a small example of Shri Nitish Kumar's institutional corruption. If a liquor ban has been implemented then it is the government's responsibility to implement it completely but due to the ideological and policy ambiguity of the Chief Minister, weak will and dependence on selected officials instead of public representatives, a liquor ban is a super flop in Bihar today," said RJD leader and former Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI)