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CM Nitish Kumar gets critic Chirag Paswan’s backing on prohibition of liquor
Paswan, a lawmaker from Jamui and usually a critic of chief minister Nitish Kumar, backed the anti-alcohol drive on Thursday, saying he doesn’t support calls to review the prohibition law
The Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar has found an unexpected ally in its campaign to enforce the prohibition of liquor across the state, with LJP (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan supporting the drive.
Paswan, a lawmaker from Jamui and usually a critic of chief minister Nitish Kumar, backed the anti-alcohol drive on Thursday, saying he doesn’t support calls to review the prohibition law as demanded by several parties, including NDA alliance partner HAM-S.
“There is lack of awareness in the state. Many people here are not aware of the harm that drugs can cause. Therefore, the prohibition law should remain in force in Bihar. I am not in favour of reviewing the prohibition law,” Paswan said
Former Bihar chief minister and HAM-S president Jitan Ram Manjhi had on Wednesday questioned CM Kumar’s alcohol ban in Bihar, requesting him to rethink the matter. “The chief minister should rethink the implementation of prohibition. Only poor people are being caught and harassed. Those who are involved in the illegal liquor trade racket are not being arrested… 70 % of the people who are being caught are poor,” Manjhi had claimed.
Manjhi also pointed to revenue loss for the state government and dwindling hotel businesses in Bihar as a consequence of the prohibition. “Hotels in tourist spots such as Bodh Gaya are incurring losses. Tourists and programme operators have shifted to alternative venues in Ranchi and Kolkata,” he said, adding that a limited number of people should be given permission to consume alcohol amid state-wide prohibition.
His remarks came in the backdrop of recent hooch tragedies in the districts of West Champaran, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Vaisshali, which left more than 40 people dead.
The BJP, the NDA’s major alliance partner, has also been demanding a review of the prohibition, with the party’s state president Dr Sanjay Jaiswal saying six years have passed since the liquor ban law was implemented and so it’s time to review it. “There is a need to review this law... I believe that its success and failure should be reconsidered,” Jaiswal recently said.
