PATNA: Bihar’s liquor prohibition policy, which has yielded mixed results, has sparked a fresh political confrontation, with the Opposition targeting Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary after he reaffirmed that the ban will continue in the state.
Speaking to the media on Friday, the Chief Minister said that both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar fully supported prohibition. He recalled how the Prime Minister, at a function in Patna, had described it as the best decision of Nitish Kumar’s tenure.
“We will take firm action against the illegal liquor trade, particularly spurious liquor, as several hooch tragedies have occurred due to it,” Samrat, who assumed office on April 15, said. He added that there was no question of reconsidering the decision.
Bihar BJP media in-charge Danish Iqbal said prohibition was Nitish Kumar’s historic decision, which had also been praised by the Prime Minister. He added that the Chief Minister had now made it clear that the policy would continue.
JD(U) chief spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar said, “The Chief Minister has demonstrated his leadership on prohibition. With the approval of Narendra Modi ji and the historic decision of Nitish Kumar ji, prohibition will remain in place in Bihar. Respect for women, empowerment of the poor, and the construction of a new Bihar are the essence of prohibition.”
On the other hand, RJD spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad said, “In recent days, the manner in which NDA legislators and leaders raised the issue of reviewing the liquor ban was causing significant embarrassment to the government. To avert this, the Chief Minister was compelled to announce that prohibition would continue and that no one could bring it to an end. This comes as a setback for those NDA leaders who had been repeatedly advocating for a review—seemingly in the interest of the liquor mafia.”
“Women are in favour of sustaining the atmosphere of peace that has taken root in every household, including those of the extremely backward classes, Dalits, and Adivasis. In view of this, they are not ready to accept any compromises with prohibition,” he added.
Congress leader Pratima Kumari Das, however, alleged that prohibition was not serving the interests of common people but those of liquor mafias. She claimed that these mafias were effectively running the government.