Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday said that those who consume alcohol were not Indians as they do not follow the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, ANI reported.

Addressing the Assembly after it passed the Bihar Prohibition and Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2022, Kumar described those who drink as “mahapaapi” and “mahaayogya” – sinners and incompetent.

Kumar made the comments while responding to allegations by the Opposition parties that hooch tragedies continued to take place in Bihar as the state government had failed to implement its prohibition law, NDTV reported. In the last six months of 2021, more than 60 people have died in Bihar after consuming hooch, the Opposition parties alleged.

Rashtriya Janata Dal’s national spokesperson Subodh Mehta said that Kumar had eased the liquor policy between 2009 and 2016, the Indian Express reported.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, the Assembly passed a Bill to amend its prohibition law, PTI reported. Under the new provisions, first-time offenders will not be jailed, and be let off with fines. However, repeat offenders will be imprisoned.

Last month, the Supreme Court had questioned the state government if it had undertaken a legislative impact study before passing the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016. The judges had said that conducting the study was crucial to ascertain if the judicial infrastructure could handle the litigation that would arise due to passing of the law.

The judges had observed that 16 of 26 judges of the Patna High Court were hearing cases pertaining to the prohibition law. They had also noted that denying bail to the accused persons would result in prisons being crowded. On March 8, the state government had told the Supreme Court that it would amend the law.