Patna, Mar 13 (IANS): Facing the charges of liquor smuggling, Bihar Cabinet minister Ram Surat Rai 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 who has given it on rent to Amrendra Kumar Kushwaha to run a school. 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 between 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 in September 4, 2014. He had given that property on lease to Kushwaha in 2017 to run a school," 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 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.

He said, "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."