Patna, June 14: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today attacked the Vikas Parv festival organised by the NDA government at the Centre on its completion of two years in office as "fake celebrations".

He asserted that the real event would be when Prime Minister Narendra Modi would ban liquor in at least the BJP-ruled states.

"These days the NDA government at the Centre is celebrating ' nakli' (fake) Vikas Parv across the country and misleading people in its name," he said. "Real development festivities are being held in Bihar households because of prohibition."

"I request the Prime Minister to ban liquor in BJP-ruled states in the same manner in which it is prevalent in Gujarat so that the people benefit from it. This will be the true celebration," he added.

Nitish pointed out that Modi had ruled Gujarat for several years and did not do away with prohibition imposed in the western state. He insisted that this expressed the Prime Minister's support of the ban on liquor.

Nitish's entreaties at the Prime Minister came while addressing a congregation of women self-help groups related to the Jeevika rural livelihood project of Patna division. Members from Patna, Nalanda, Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas and Kaimur districts attended the event at SK Memorial Hall.

Arguing in support of his demand, Nitish said in the two months since total prohibition was imposed in Bihar crime rate in the state has declined by 15 per cent.

Total prohibition was imposed on April 5. The chief minister claimed since then there has been a decline in the number of cases - murder by 32 per cent, rape by 26 per cent, kidnapping by 76 per cent, dacoity by 45 per cent, and road accidents by 32 per cent.

"I have already told the Union minister for road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari, that road accidents across the country will go down sharply if liquor is banned," he said from the dais, which he shared by deputy chief minister Tejaswi, education minister Ashok Choudhary and rural development and parliamentary affairs minister Shrawan Kumar.

"Prohibition has become the foundation stone of social change," Nitish said. "It is permanent and will remain even if I am not there. I will accept death, but will not bow down. Our aim is to remove the habit of drinking from society and make it free of liquor. Prohibition will expand across the country."

He asked the self-help groups to destroy illicit liquor-brewing facilities, inform the police and ensure implementation of prohibition.