Those who drink are sinners, can't be called Indians: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar
Patna, March 31: People who drink are great sinners, good for nothing, and do not deserve to be called Indians, according to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
The veteran socialist made the remarks on the floor of the state legislature.
The legislative council bore witness to his declamation on Wednesday when an amendment to the state's stringent prohibition law was placed before it after having been passed by the assembly.
Kumar, who has been a member of the upper house in the state ever since he became the chief minister in 2005, rose to take part in the debate.
Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, Kumar recalled the revulsion "Bapu" had for alcohol and railed against critics who questioned liquor ban in Bihar, which has been in force since 2016.
"Those who criticise us for bringing prohibition, think they are kaabil (accomplished). Actually they are maha ayogya (good for nothing) and maha paapi (great sinners)," Kumar had fumed.
The CM also said that it was Gandhi who had helped the country get Independence and, as such, those who disagreed with him on the issue of alcohol "cannot be called Hindustanis or Bharatiyas".
Prohibition was imposed in April, 2016 in keeping with an electoral promise Kumar had made to the state's women ahead of the assembly polls held the year before.
His government had, in its first couple of terms, faced flak for a liberal excise policy which allegedly facilitated mushrooming of liquor shops in every nook and corner.
Subsequent implementation of the prohibition law has, however, been patchy and called into question following a spurt in hooch deaths in the past few months.
The government maintained that the ban on liquor has led to improved standards of living.
Recently, Kumar turned down suggestions that those coming to the state from outside be exempted with the remark that anybody who found liquor ban inconvenient "need not visit Bihar".
He also exhorted people to publicly shame those found involved in sale or manufacture of illicit liquor.
Kumar's detractors have scoffed at the use of drones, helicopters and other such measures for keeping a check on bootleggers.
Moreover, his government was recently upbraided by the Supreme Court for having brought in a law which burdened the Patna High Court with cases relating to prohibition.
The latest amendment seeks to exempt "first time offenders" from jail term if they tell on their peddlers, a provision which, as per the opposition, could put the lives of informants at risk and be misused for setting personal scores.
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TN seeks duty-free cotton imports to support textile sector: CM Vijay writes to PM
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the import duty on cotton.
In his first letter to Modi after taking over as chief minister of the state, he said Tamil Nadu is the country’s largest textile and apparel exporting state.
Lakhs of people are dependent on this sector for both direct and indirect employment, especially women from rural and semi-urban backgrounds, Vijay pointed out.
Stating that the industry is facing a severe crisis due to an increase in cotton prices and consequently yarn prices, he said, “I understand this is caused primarily due to a shortage in cotton production and increased trading activity in the country.”
Pointing out that the price of cotton has increased from Rs 54,700 to Rs 67,700 per candy—an increase of 25 per cent over the last two months—while yarn prices have increased from Rs 301 to Rs 330 per kg, he said, “In this situation, the continued supply of raw material can be ensured only through imports.”
However, there is an import duty of 11 per cent on cotton, he said, adding that in such a situation, permitting duty-free cotton imports will help the industry meet increasing export commitments and remain globally competitive.
Vijay said that after agriculture, the textile and apparel sector is one of the largest employment-generating sectors.
“There is a significant responsibility on the government to safeguard the employment of lakhs of people and ensure the sustainability of the textile value chain," he said.
“Hence, I request your intervention to remove the import duty on cotton from the existing 11 per cent to 0 per cent to ensure the availability of raw material. This measure will enable the textile and apparel industry to remain globally competitive, enhance exports, and protect jobs,” he added.
