Patna: The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday termed as “irresponsible” the BJP’s demand for ex gratia to family members of Saran hooch tragedy.
JD(U) parliamentary board chief and key political aide of CM Nitish Kumar, Upendra Kushwaha also drew the analogy of the manufacture of bombs to underscore that a government cannot stand for those engaging in illegal activities.
“If somebody is manufacturing a bomb, illegally, and gets killed in the process, does it make a case for government compensation”? asked the former Union minister, when approached by journalists with queries.
At least 30 people have died in the Saran hooch tragedy, the biggest in the state since prohibition was clamped on it in April 2016. Many unconfirmed reports, however, put the death toll in excess of 50.
Kushwaha said, “An opposition party must not raise demands mindlessly. The way the BJP has been behaving is irresponsible (gair zimmedarana)”.
The BJP, which is in the opposition since August, has been stalling the ongoing winter session of the assembly and hitting the streets demanding compensation for the victims of the hooch tragedy.
The chief minister has, however, been adamant in his refusal, pointing out that compensation would defeat the very purpose of prohibition, which was brought in through a consensus among all parties, after a vociferous demand from the state’s women.
