Nitish urges INLD to follow Bihar’s example of liquor ban

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, September 25

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today exhorted the INLD leadership to follow the example of his state and ban liquor in Haryana. This, he said, would bring sadbhavana (harmony) in the state. He was speaking at the Sadbhawna Samman Divas Rally here to mark the birth anniversary of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal.

Kumar asked INLD to make efforts for imposing prohibition that, he said, would lead to a change. “Bihar is celebrating 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha and 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh. Prohibition is a tribute to the Father of the Nation and 10th guru of Sikhs.”

The Bihar Chief Minister urged people to give a strong message to communal forces and hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fooling people. He said people of India were awaiting achhe din.

Kumar called the BJP anti-farmer because it had not fulfilled its pre-poll promise of implementing the Swaminathan Commission report.

He claimed GM crops were against the interests of farmers. “I had opposed BT cotton when I was the Union Agriculture Minister. Now, being the Chief Minister, I am opposing GM crops.”

He lauded the INLD for organising rallies on the birth anniversaries of Devi Lal and BR Ambedkar. “Such efforts will make the spirit of brotherhood strong.” Janata Dal (United) general secretary KC Tyagi criticised the Centre for its crop insurance policy and claimed only insurance companies would benefit from it.

Shivpal Yadav, UP Samajwadi Party president, took a dig at the BJP government at the Centre and in Haryana, but praised the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh for working for farmers’ welfare.

He criticised the Manohar Lal Khattar government in Haryana for corruption and poor state of farmers.

Abhay Chautala, Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly, blamed the Congress and the BJP for inciting people to violence during the Jat agitation for reservation in February. He read out a message from INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, who is in jail.

Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala asked the gathering to vote INLD to power in 2019.

State INLD chief Ashok Arora opposed the scheme of shifting electricity meters out of houses and announced to dump the meters in the Ganga if voted to power.