Furious about his son's arrest, Hari Manjhi described prohibition in the state as a complete failure.
The
son of a BJP lawmaker has been arrested in Bihar for flouting the state's tough prohibition laws, close to the heart of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Rahul Manjhi, the 25-year-old son of Hari Manjhi, the parliamentarian from Gaya, was arrested on Saturday evening. Police sources said medical tests have confirmed that he consumed liquor. He and a friend were caught allegedly drinking in a village in Gaya.
Since the ban on sale and consumption of liquor was imposed in Bihar two years ago, the police have actively been cracking down on violators. Last month, the state assembly was told that one person is arrested and sent to jail every 10 minutes in the state - which make for an average of 172 arrests every day.
Furious about his son's arrest, Hari Manjhi described prohibition in the state as a complete failure. His son, he said, has always helped police track down those involved in manufacture and sale of liquor.
The arrest is seen as the second big embarrassment for Nitish Kumar -- who rules the state in alliance with the BJP -- vis-a-vis prohibition, since 9 children died in February. A drunk BJP worker had allegedly mowed down the children, who were standing outside a government school in Muzaffarpur. The man was suspended from the party for six years and is currently on the run.
Leaders of Lalu Yadav's RJD indicated that Rahul Manjhi was targetted because he does not belong to an influential caste. Jitan Ram Manjhi, the former chief minister who has considerable support among the Manjhi community, recently quit the NDA, unhappy with the BJP's decision to partner with Nitish Kumar.
Leaders of the BJP in Patna maintained silence on the issue. Mr Kumar has recently made it clear that he was upset with two Union ministers - Giriraj Singh and Ashwini Choubey - was were at the heart of two raging controversies, one of which involved communal clashes in the state.