Those who drink liquor are ‘mahapaapi’: Nitish Kumar on hooch tragedies

In a spot over the alarming spate of hooch deaths in the state, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said those who consume alcohol are mahapaapi (great sinners) and that the government shouldn’t be blamed for their deaths.

Kumar’s comment came after the Bihar Legislative Assembly passed the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Bill 2022.

“Those who do not adhere by the words of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, are not Indians, are not capable… They are absolutely mahaayogya (inept) and mahapaapi (great sinners),” he said in the assembly.

Also read: If caught drunk in Bihar, here’s a way to escape jail sentence

Citing a government survey, Kumar said, as of 2018, around 1.74 crore people stopped drinking liquor. He said many states do not ban alcohol because it generates revenue, but a person who “wastes money on alcohol” should use the same money to feed his family.

He was replying to the Oppositions allegations that hooch deaths happened in the state due to the state government’s inability to implement the liqor ban in the state.

The Bill, which has been passed by the Assembly through a voice vote will become law after getting the approval of the Governor. The Bill proposes to relax punishment on first-time drinkers. Such ‘offenders’ would get a bail from the duty magistrate after depositing a fine, but will have to undergo a month of jail sentence if they fail to pay the same.

At least 37 people have died in the state after consuming spurious liquor in the state in March alone. The death toll was more than 60 in the last six months of 2021.