Bihar: BJP, Congress trade barbs over liquor recovery from MLA's car
PATNA/BUXAR: The recovery of liquor bottles from the private car of Congress MLA Sanjay Kumar Tiwari alias Munna Tiwari in Buxar district on Wednesday took a political turn on Thursday with the BJP and the grand-old party trading barbs over the issue.
Altogether eight bottles of the Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) were recovered from the lawmaker’s car near Nagpura village under the Simri police station area in Buxar district.
Four people travelling in the car were arrested.
A day after the recovery, Congress state president Madan Mohan Jha came out in the defence of the MLA and demanded a fair investigation into the matter. “It’s a sinister design to defame the legislator. It should be investigated how the liquor bottles found their way into the lawmaker’s car. Moreover, the MLA was not present in the car when the seizure was made,” Jha said.
The MLA, on the other hand, said his vehicle was currently being used for distribution of ration to the people in Jagdishpur area. “How the vehicle reached Simri is a matter of investigation. I am yet to contact the workers who were there in the vehicle for ration distribution,” Tiwari said.
A day after the recovery, Congress state president Madan Mohan Jha came out in the defence of the MLA and demanded a fair investigation into the matter. “It’s a sinister design to defame the legislator. It should be investigated how the liquor bottles found their way into the lawmaker’s car. Moreover, the MLA was not present in the car when the seizure was made,” Jha said.
The MLA, on the other hand, said his vehicle was currently being used for distribution of ration to the people in Jagdishpur area. “How the vehicle reached Simri is a matter of investigation. I am yet to contact the workers who were there in the vehicle for ration distribution,” Tiwari said.
The BJP has attacked the Congress for violation of prohibition norms. BJP spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel said, “One can easily understand why the RJD-Congress combine is opposed to prohibition in the state. The seizure of liquor consignment from the party MLA’s car has exposed its links with liquor smugglers.”
Dumraon SDPO K K Singh said seven people, including the MLA, were named as accused in the FIR lodged with the Simri police station under relevant sections of Bihar Excise and Prohibition Act, 2016.
During investigation, it came to light that the seized vehicle was registered in the name of the MLA in question.
Those arrested included the driver of the car Sushil Kumar Prasad, Anil Mishra, Vicky Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari.
ADG (headquarters) Jitendra Kumar said raids were on to arrest three other accused.
Buxar SP Upendra Nath Verma said though the MLA was not in the vehicle, he was booked as he owned it. “The FIR against the MLA was lodged on the basis of the statement of the arrested people,” the SP added.
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