Patna, Sep 13 (PTI) Condolences poured in on Sunday for veteran Congress leader Abdul Jalil Mastan, best remembered for his tenure as the prohibition minister of Bihar when the state went dry.
Mastan, 68, breathed his last at AIIMS, Delhi, on Saturday after prolonged illness, sources close to the leader said.
A six-time former MLA from Amour assembly seat in Purnea district, Mastan was appointed as the prohibition minister in 2015, in the Mahagathbandhan government that comprised the then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), the RJD and the Congress.
In April, 2016, Kumar, in keeping with a promise made to the state’s women ahead of assembly polls held in the previous year, announced a complete ban on the sale and consumption of liquor, which continues till date.
Condoling the demise, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary called Mastan “an able political leader and social worker” and announced that the last rites will be performed with full state honours.
Bihar Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar recalled Mastan’s career as a member of the House and called his death “an irreparable loss”.
State Congress president Rajesh Kumar Ram said Mastan’s death was “a big blow to the party in Bihar, especially in the Seemanchal region”.
Condolences were also offered by RJD president Lalu Prasad and working president Tejashwi Yadav, who was the Deputy CM when Mastan enjoyed his cabinet berth, and other top leaders of the party. PTI NAC NN
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.