School where liquor was found belongs to Bihar Minister, alleges BJP MLA

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ashok Singh said he visited the controversial school from where liquor was recovered on November 8, 2020, accepting the invitation of Bihar Minister Ram Surat Rai. Meanwhile, Bihar Cabinet minister Ram Surat Rai, who is facing charges of liquor smuggling, defended himself and said that the school where liquor was recovered on November 8, 2020, was not his property.

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ashok Singh said he visited the controversial school from where liquor was recovered on November 8, 2020, accepting the invitation of Bihar Minister Ram Surat Rai.

"I went there with Nand Kishore Yadav (BJP leader) as a chief guest of the ceremony. He told me that he owns the school. I don't know whether the school is actually owned by him or not," said Singh to ETV Bharat on Monday.

Bihar Cabinet minister Ram Surat Rai, who is facing charges of liquor smuggling, defended himself and said that the school where liquor was recovered on November 8, 2020, was not his property.

"That school property belongs to my brother Hansraj Rai. He gave it on lease to Amrendra Kumar Kushwaha. If my brother is involved in liquor smuggling or trade then where is how am I guilty for it," Rai said while interacting with media in Patna on Saturday.

"My father Arjun Rai was a social activist in Bochaha block in Muzaffarpur. He verbally distributed the properties among four brothers including me in 2006. It was legally registered in 2012. The school property was purchased by my brother Hansraj Rai under his personal capacity on September 4, 2014. He had given that property on lease to Kushwaha in 2017," Rai said.

"Kushwaha was a tuition teacher in the village. He requested my brother to give that property to run the school. He was allegedly involved in the illegal liquor trade and smuggling with the help of his relative Dilip Kumar and his wife Ajmeri Khatoon. 13 persons including Kushwaha, Kumar and Ajmeri Khatoon were booked and arrested in this case. There were three more criminal cases registered against Dilip Kumar in three different police stations. My brother's name was also there included among the 13 alleged persons," he added.

"Since my father is a reputed personality in the region so Kushwaha might have wanted to use my brother's property to attract more students. As the school is in my constituency, I went there for inauguration as well as prize distribution in 2017. As a public representative, if anyone asks me to inaugurate any school or hospital or any other public interest entities, I will go there. I don't think there is any harm in doing that," he said.

(With inputs from IANS)