At the time when people are grappling with the coronavirus pandemic and struggling for staples, a Congress MLA’s car smuggling foreign liquor was intercepted by the police in Simri, Bihar. Congress MLA from Buxur, Sanjay Tiwari alias Munna Tiwari, found himself in the dock after eight bottles of imported liquor were recovered from his official car on Wednesday night. Bihar Police have arrested four associates of Sanjay Tiwari, who were sitting in the vehicle when the incident took place. As Bihar has total prohibition, people found with liquor is a grave crime in the state.
Bihar: Liquor bottles were recovered from the car of Baxur MLA Sanjay Kr Tiwari.He says,”my car is used in distributing ration,today it had gone to distribute ration in Jagdishpur. I’m surprised how my car reached Simri.I’m yet to speak with workers who went to distribute ration” pic.twitter.com/mgAy4m9D3d
— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2020
It is being said that the minister was not present when the incident took place.
Bihar police had stopped the vehicle for general checking
In what transpired on May 14 (Thursday) in Simri area of Buxar, the Bihar police had stopped the official vehicle of Congress legislator bearing sticker of Bihar Vidhan Sabha for regular checking. During checking, police recovered eight bottles of imported liquor from inside the vehicle. The police confirmed the vehicle belongs to Sanjay Tiwari alias Munna Tiwari. Police said that they were further investigating the matter.
“Police recovered eight bottles of foreign liquor from the official vehicle of Congress MLA. This vehicle belongs to the legislator and we are further investigating the matter. We have arrested for persons in this connection,” said Upendra Nath Verma, Superintendent of Police, Buxur.
Liquor ban in Bihar
It is pertinent to note here, that Bihar was declared a dry state in 2016. The alcohol ban in Bihar was implemented through the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act that came into effect on April 1, 2016.
Congress MLA smells conspiracy
Meanwhile, the Congress MLA has claimed that a conspiracy was hatched to implicate him. He said that he had lent his vehicle for distribution of ration during the lockdown and it was supposed to be driven to Jagdishpur in this regard. “I had given my car for ferrying ration for the needy. I don’t know what all was ferried in the car by the people who took my vehicle. I myself am surprised how my car reached Simri,” Tiwari said.
The MLA said he was in touch with the local administration and said that necessary action should be taken in the incident. “Also, if there is a conspiracy against me then the government should take appropriate action on that,” the Congress leader lamented.
Congress leader caught smuggling liquor to Delhi
Earlier in the month, Rohit Chahal, the National Media In-Charge of the BJP, had alleged that Sharvan Rao, the Congress party Secretary in Maharashtra, and Manish Shila were caught misusing the essential services pass to smuggle liquor in the car of National President of Youth Congress, Srinivas BV.
He also claimed that the car was meant to supply food items to the poor during the Coronavirus lockdown. Chahal asked, “Were the party workers supplying alcohol to Rahul Gandhi?”
Srinivas B V had then dubbed the incident as a conspiracy to defame the relief work undertaken by the Youth Congress. In his defence, he said, “Our crime is that food and medicine have been provided by us to lakhs of people”.
Congress MLA from Rajasthan claimed that alcohol could kill the coronavirus
Soon after the central government took the harsh decision to put the nation under strict lockdown and ordered shut down all bars and liquor stores across the country to fight the rise in coronavirus cases, a Congress MLA from Rajasthan had come up with a bizarre explanation to defend the sale of alcohol during the pandemic.
Congress MLA from Rajasthan’s Sangod, Bharat Singh Kundanpur has written to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot asking him to consider opening liquor shops in the state by claiming that alcohol could kill the coronavirus.
While urging with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to open the liquor shops in the state, Kundanpur said, “When coronavirus can be removed by washing hands with alcohol, then drinking alcohol will surely remove the virus from the throat”.
