Ruling ally in Bihar calls for compensation for kin of deceased in hooch tragedy, to organise protest

CPI(ML) says it has supported prohibition but ‘hooch deaths will stop only when political and administrative patronage to the liquor mafias is crushed’

A day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asserted in the State Assembly that he has “no sympathy” for those died after consuming spurious liquor and that there would be no compensation for their families, an ally of the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) government led by Mr. Kumar, the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) on Saturday demanded compensation and rehabilitation for the family members of those died in the recent hooch tragedy.

On December 16, Mr. Kumar had urged support from the CPI (ML) in the State Assembly for prohibition, recalling their old association with him. A team of CPI (ML) leaders and legislators had visited the village of Chhapra in Saran districs, where as many as 30 people have died so far following the alleged consumption of spurious liquor in dry Bihar. The Left party currently has 12 MLAs in the State Assembly in the “grand alliance” with six other parties in the government led by Mr. Kumar.

“CPI(ML) demands that the State government should show sensitiveness over the death of people in hooch tragedy in Saran and other places; make provision for compensation and rehabilitation of family members of those died in the tragedy; take responsibility for their children’s education and future; and should target the liquor mafia-politicians-police nexus, who are responsible for hooch deaths, by constituting a high-level probe team,” CPI(ML) legislators Mahboob Alam, Birendra Prasad Gupta, Manoj Manzil, and Gopal Ravidas, and State secretary of the party Kunalji, said in a joint press conference on Saturday.

They also announced that their party would organise a protest day across the State on December 19 over their demands, and a team of party leaders would also meet the Chief Minister to press for their demands.

On December 16, a team of party leaders comprising party legislators Birendra Prasad Gupta and Manoj Manjil, former party MLA Amarnath Yadav and Saran district secretary Sabha Rai had visited different villages in the Masrakh, Marhaura, Ishuapur and Amnour Blocks, where the most number of deaths were reported in the hooch tragedy.

“Such incidents are happening because of liquor mafias’ connivance with the local administration and it’s happening across the State. Our party has supported prohibition but such hooch deaths will stop only when political and administrative patronage to the liquor mafias is crushed,” the CPI(ML) leaders said.

They also slammed Opposition BJP over the issue. “For last 17 years, the BJP was in power in the State and dozens of such incidents happened during their time as well, so they cannot absolve themselves from it. If the Saran hooch incident is probed, several BJP leaders would be found to be giving giving patronage to liquor mafias,” the CPI(ML) leaders alleged, adding, “BJP is doing politics over hooch tragedy when the maximum number of deaths due to spurious liquor are from the BJP-ruled States of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.”