Congress MLA given showcause notice for consuming alcohol in 'dry' state Bihar

Patna: The Congress party on Tuesday issued a showcause notice to Narkatiaganj MLA Vinay Verma, who was caught on camera drinking alcohol in dry state Bihar.

In the video, Verma can be seen offering liquor to his guests. He is even naming certain brands of India-made foreign liquor which, he said, were available with him.

According to the Bihar Excise Act, sale, consumption and even offering liquor to anyone is an offence. Any person offering liquor is liable for imprisonment from ten years to life and fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

The Bihar Government had on April 5 banned the sale of alcohol, thereby following the footsteps of Gujarat, Nagaland and Mizoram.

The Bihar Government gets revenue of nearly Rs 2,000 crores from the sale of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). The state government earned revenue of around Rs 4,000 crores from country liquor sales in 2015-16.