PATNA: The JD-U today welcomed the Supreme Court order to ban all liquor shops on national and state highways across the country, saying it has put a "seal of approval" on prohibition enforced in Bihar.
"The apex court order banning all liquor shops on national as well state highways has put a seal of approval on total prohibition enforced by the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar," state JD-U spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said in a statement.
"By enacting a total ban on liquor, Nitish Kumar who is the most popular chief minister of the country has not only won the hearts of the citizens of the state but has set an example before the entire country," he claimed.
"The Supreme Court order would pave the way for implementation of the liquor ban in the whole nation," Prasad said.
The JD-U spokesman further claimed that the "revolutionary" step of prohibition has accelerated the pace of economic prosperity of Bihar.
Another state JD-U spokesman Arvind Nishad in a separate statement said prohibition in Bihar had laid a foundation of a social change.