Chaos precedes Nitish Kumar's Noida rally, demands liquor ban

A public meeting of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Noida was preceded by chaos and unruly scenes, forcing the police to resort to a mild cane charge.

Police said due to large crowds the organisers failed to manage the people and there was complete chaos at the venue.

However, Kumar later addressed the rally and demanded that liquor be banned in Uttar Pradesh with immediate effect.

Pointing out that consumption of liquor in UP was much more than in Bihar, he said the state will not only be a better place to live in but also the health of people and families would be improved by liquor ban.

A Hindu seer, Acharya Pankaj, had organised the event. He had met Kumar in Patna and invited the Bihar chief minister to address the rally, and demand a ban on liquor.

At a Cabinet meeting last week, Uttar Pradesh government cleared the sale of IMFL in tetra packs, hinting that it planned to promote liquor by making it readily available.

--IANS

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