Assembly in session: Opposition targets Haryana govt over spurious liquor deaths

Pradeep Sharma

Chandigarh, December 18

The BJP-JJP government came under a sharp attack by the Opposition on the issue of over 20 deaths due to the consumption of spurious liquor in Yamunanagar and Ambala districts on the second day of the ongoing Haryana Vidhan Sabha session here today.

As Opposition members alleged patronage of the liquor mafia by politicians and bureaucrats, Home Minister Anil Vij, who replied to the calling attention motion on the issue, had a tough time in satisfying the Opposition.

Running under your nose

You (Anil Vij) are popularly known as ‘gabbar’ for your strict stance against anti-social elements. It is surprising that the spurious liquor factory was running right under your nose in Ambala. Balraj Kundu, Meham MLA

Cops probing case meticulously

It is for the first time that such a large number of accused (36) have been arrested in a liquor case. All accused, except one, have been arrested. The police are investigating the case meticulously. Anil Vij, Home Minister

Initiating the debate, Abhay Chautala (INLD) alleged that a politician-bureaucrat nexus was shielding the liquor mafia in the state. Picking up holes in minister’s reply, he alleged that the reply was full of deficiencies and that the minister had been misled by the officials, who drafted his reply.

Alleging that the report of the special investigation team (SIT) on an earlier liquor scam was only a tip of the iceberg, Kiran Chaudhry (Congress) said while the state government had taken action against some officials, the big fish had gone scot-free. Independent MLA from Meham Balraj Kundu said the state government’s promises of installing CCTVs in distilleries and QR codes on liquor bottles had proved hollow. “Over 20 lives were lost in a spurious liquor tragedy in November. Only a judicial probe by a sitting Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court can get to the bottom of the truth in that tragedy,” he said. In a detailed reply, Vij said a strict action had been taken in the case with five FIRs being registered and 36 persons arrested. Vij said this was the first time that all connected persons, including the main contractor, sublet contractor, bottle supplier and sticker supplier, had been arrested in the case. He said main accused Mange Ram belonged the Congress while Rajkumar, father of the accused Gaurav Gupta, had contested the elections 2014 Assembly elections on the INLD ticket.