Nitish in soup; allies, Opposition demand stricter prohibiton law execution

Earlier, former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said that people consuming liquor up to a quarter bottle of liquor should not be arrested.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. (Photo | PTI)
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. (Photo | PTI)

PATNA: The prohibition law in the state has become a talking point for its poor implementation. Apart from the Opposition, allies of ruling grand alliance have also voiced their concern over its poor implementation in the state.

CPI MLA Surya Kant Paswan on Saturday said that prohibition has failed to deliver its results in the state.
“Bootlegging continues unabated despite strict instructions issued by the state government to all district magistrates to enforce the prohibition law effectively. The loopholes in the law should be plugged immediately,” he told the media.

Earlier, former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said that people consuming liquor up to a quarter bottle hould not be arrested. Manjhi said that majority of people arrested on the charges of violating law were small time consumers.

“I can say with full conviction that poor people are languishing in jail. Those involved in manufacturing and sales are out of police’s reach. So consumption of alcohol in small quantity should be allowed,” he argued. Even ruling RJD has criticised state machinery for its poor implementation of prohibition law. The party pleaded for some relaxations in prohibition law to make it more practical. “Prohibition is good but it should be enforced strictly,” RJD spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari said.

Nitish is already facing criticism from the opposition over the alleged poor implementation of the prohibition. Poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who is currently touring across the state under his ‘Jan Suraj Padyatra’ campaign, said that the state was suffering from revenue losses of nearly Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore per year. He blamed chief minister Nitish Kumar for sending poor people to jail on the charges of violating the prohibition law.

On Friday, in a major embarrassment to the Nitish Kumar government, JD (U) parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha had stated that the prohibition law was not successful in the state, and it came after Bihar CM had ordered for strict implementation of the prohibition law by cracking down on liquor suppliers.

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