New Delhi: Janata Dal (United) MLA Gopal Mandal kicked up a controversy on Monday as he said that "it doesn't matter if 32 people die or 50 after consuming spurious liquor in Bihar," news agency ANI reported.
The statement comes at a time when Nitish Kumar is under fire for a slew of liquor-related tragedies in Bihar.
"Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has closed all liquor shops in the state long ago. It doesn't matter if 32 people die or 50 after consuming spurious liquor in Bihar. Senior Police officers are connected to liquors smugglers for their personal benefits," MLA Gopal Mandal was quoted by ANI on its official Twitter handle.
"Our chief minister Nitish Kumar is regularly warning the people of Bihar to avoid drinking liquor. Then why are they doing it?" he asked.
Mandal is one of the few MLAs in Bihar who continues to court controversy. On September 2, last year, he was captured on video roaming in his underwear on the Rajendra Nagar-New Delhi Tejus Rajdhani Express.
37 Die In Bihar After Consuming Spurious Liquor Since Holi
In Bihar, the death toll from the intake of illegal booze remains high. According to a Bihar police officer, 37 people have died as a result of imbibing illicit liquor in the three districts of Bihar since Holi.
The highest number of deaths occurred in the Bhagalpur district, where 22 people have perished since Saturday (March 19). In addition, 12 people were killed in the Banka district and 3 in Madhepura.
The Bihar police, on the other hand, assert that these are strange fatalities and that an inquiry is underway to determine the exact cause of death.