Accused JD(U) leader posts selfie with Bihar CM, shown the door

PATNA: A photograph of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar posing with a man accused of a hooch tragedy that killed 29 people has sparked a controversy, with the Opposition accusing Kumar of maintaining a “dual stand” on his government’s alcohol ban.

Rakesh Singh is the block president of the Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) and is also accused of having a role in a nexus that supplied cheap, spurious liquor that triggered the deaths at Ara in Bihar’s Bhojpur district on December 30, 2012. He posted his selfie with Kumar on social media after meeting the CM on Sunday.

The RJD was quick to react. Former deputy CM and Lalu Prasad’s son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said the photo showed Kumar’s “double standards”.

A ban on sale and consumption of alcohol was imposed in the state in April last year. The state government is already under attack as four people died on October 27 after drinking illicit liquor in Rohtas. A dozen policemen and two excise officials were suspended for the deaths.

The ruling JD(U) removed Singh from the party as the row threatened to balloon. “He is an elected block president. But we were not aware about the case against him. We have removed him from the party and will be alert that such elements do not join the party,” said JD(U) state president Bashistha Narain Singh. “The JD(U) is committed to prohibition and we are not going to compromise on the issue,” Singh added.

The chief minister met the accused when he accompanied former school principal Harindra Kumar Singh, whom Kumar felicitated for returning ₹4 lakh received as dowry for his son’s marriage from the prospective bride’s family. Kumar welcomed the retired principal in his home with a warm hug for promoting the state’s anti-dowry campaign.