Bihar CM Nitish Kumar dares PM Modi, asks him to ban liquor in all BJP-ruled states

Patna: In yet another attempt to take a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday dared the government in Centre to ban liquor in all Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled states.

"If you’re serious about yoga, then ban liquor in all BJP-ruled states," NDTV quoted Nitish Kumar as saying.

Intensifying his drive against liquor, Nitish dared the Modi-led government in Centre to implement prohibition in the all BJP-ruled state.

However, this was not the first time when the Bihar CM challenged PM Modi on the issues. In the past, Nitish had on several occasions asked PM Modi to make his stand clear on the liquor ban issue.

Nitish, who addressed a rally in Uttar Pradesh last month, had quoted, "After successfully enforcing liquor ban in Bihar, I will launch anti-liquor campaign in Uttar Pradesh at Lucknow on May 15. But, before launching this campaign, I seek the opinion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of ban on sale of liquor."

"Before becoming the PM, he was the CM of Gujarat where liquor is banned since the formation of the state and Modi also continued it. Now when he is in power at the Centre, Modi should make it clear why BJP-ruled states are not initiating measures to ban liquor," Kumar had added further.