Patna: The political temperature rose sharply in the Bihar Legislative Council on Thursday after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) member Sunil Singh levelled sweeping allegations against the state government over the implementation of prohibition.
Singh claimed that despite the liquor ban, alcohol remains easily accessible across the state. He further alleged that several ministers and MLAs from the ruling party consume alcohol regularly, and even asserted that liquor bottles are opened within the Legislative Assembly premises. He did not name any individual.
The RJD leader accused the government of creating what he described as a “parallel liquor business” worth approximately Rs 25,000 crore under the prohibition regime introduced by chief minister Nitish Kumar. He said the state’s condition had “seriously deteriorated” over the past decade and warned that Bihar was moving towards a situation comparable to “Udta Punjab”, a reference to drug abuse concerns in Punjab.
Singh also alleged that minors were falling prey to illicit liquor consumption while the administration remained inactive.
The debate came a day after a separate confrontation between Singh and minister Ashok Choudhary. During earlier proceedings, Singh had questioned the authenticity of Choudhary’s PhD degree, triggering a sharp exchange in the House. Choudhary had responded by suggesting that the questioner lacked knowledge.
On Thursday, Singh escalated his attack, describing Choudhary as the “most corrupt minister in Bihar” and alleging that he had amassed significant wealth.
The remarks intensified the ongoing friction between the opposition and the ruling alliance during the budget session, adding to a series of recent confrontations over governance and accountability under the state’s prohibition policy.
