BJP leaders demand inquiry into allegations that Tejashwi violated prohibition law in dry Bihar

Patna: Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi has demanded an inquiry into the allegations of recently disqualified RJD MLC Rambali Singh that Tejashwi Yadav has been "consuming liquor" in violation of the state's stringent prohibition law.

However, Singh, who lost his Bihar legislative council membership two days ago on the charge of working against the party line, maintained that the senior BJP leader (Sushil Modi) had taken out of context word uttered by him during a "loose talk" which got recorded on camera without his knowledge.

Singh claimed that he never took the name of RJD leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav during the conversation.

"I never took the name of Tejashwi Yadav… It was a loose talk which got recorded on camera without my knowledge. Somebody asked me during conversation whether Tejashwi Yadav consumes liquor or not….On this, I said the prohibition law is a complete failure in the state and those who were consuming liquor earlier, are consuming even after the ban", Singh told PTI on Thursday.

Whatever Sushil Modi is claiming is "not correct at all", Singh said, adding "I did not take Tejashwi Yadav's name." The prohibition law was enforced in Bihar in April 2016, banning the manufacture, sale and consumption of liquor.

Sushil Kumar Modi in a post on X, attributing Singh's claim that Yadav consumed liquor in Bihar as long as he stayed in power, has demanded an inquiry into the matter.

"If found guilty of breaking the law, Yadav should be punished for that. Rambali Singh must have made this statement on the basis of some evidence, it should be enquired into", Sushil Modi wrote.

प्रभात खबर pic.twitter.com/3KOVGIxZZ5

— Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) February 8, 2024

Echoing a similar view, senior Bihar BJP leader, Nikhil Anand, told PTI, "Rambali Singh has made some serious allegation against Tejashwi Yadav on which clarification is needed. A serious probe, of course, is needed as to how can somebody sitting in a high constitutional position, break the law?" Reacting to charges levelled by BJP leaders, senior RJD leader and party's spokesperson (Bihar unit), Mrityunjay Tiwari, told PTI, "Charges of BJP leaders are baseless. In fact, Tejashwi Yadav should be given credit for the liquor ban in Bihar. Since they (BJP leaders) are scared of Tejashwi Yadav and the RJD, BJP leaders are indulging in such acts".

The Bihar Legislative Council chairman Devesh Chandra Thakur on Tuesday ordered the disqualification of Rambali Singh as a member on a petition filed by the party's deputy chief whip Sunil Kumar Singh.

"Singh was disqualified as member of the legislative council on the charges of working against the party line by issuing objectionable statement against party leader Tejashwi Yadav, criticising the erstwhile Mahagathbandhan government's decision to conduct caste-based survey and launching campaign against the erstwhile Nitish government's decision to include three castes - Teli, Tamoli and Dangi - in the list of extremely backward castes (EBCs)", Sunil Kumar Singh told PTI.

"The party had taken serious exception to his campaign against the state government’s decision to include Teli, Tamoli and Dangi castes among the extremely backward classes (EBCs) in 2015. RJD had sought his disqualification on the ground that he indulged in anti-party activities and refused to mend his ways despite repeated reminders", said Sunil Kumar Singh.

Rambali Singh was elected as a member of the legislative council (MLC) in June 2020 as an RJD nominee from the assembly quota and his term was to expire in 2026. Rambali Singh described the order to disqualify him as a member of the council as "unconstitutional" and said he will challenge it in the court of law.