Uproar in Bihar House over ‘blood test’ poser on liquor prohibition

Parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary clarified that there was no such proposal for any review and all the members had unanimously backed prohibition

With the Opposition as well as ruling dispensation demanding review of prohibition in Bihar and the issue causing uproar as soon as the second sitting began on Wednesday over “blood test poser”, parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary clarified that there was no such proposal for any review and all the members had unanimously backed prohibition.

RJD and CPI-ML MLAs stage a protest against the Bihar government during the ongoing budget session in Patna on Wednesday. (Pappi Sharma/ANI)

As soon as the second session began, RJD MLA Alok Mehta got up and said that the statement of a minister (he did not name him) to a TV channel that the reality of prohibition would come to fore if all the members were asked to undergo blood test was “unacceptable and derogatory”.

“Such a minister should be removed from the cabinet, as he has cast aspersions on all the members of the House with an unsubstantiated statement. This is condemnable,” said Mehta. He was backed by RJD MLA Kumar Savajeet.

At this, Choudhary said that such a statement, if made, was totally uncalled for and the government would never accept this.

“I am no aware who said it, when and where, but I certainly know that none of the members of the House could speak such a thing, as the entire Vidhan Sabha was one when chief minister Nitish Kumar came forward with the law in 2016 to not only unanimously backed it, but also took a pledge that they would not consume and encourage others to stay away from it. This is part of the House proceedings,” he added.

The issue started outside the Assembly when Congress leader Amit Ranjan told mediapersons that “blood test of all the members would expose the reality of prohibition” in the state and Bihar minister for welfare of scheduled castes and tribes Lakhendra Paswan responded with a poser that it should be first done on leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

“If anyone knows who is drinking, the members should name the person, not just level wild allegations,” Paswan said.

When mediapersons confronted another Bihar minister Ramkripal Yadav outside the assembly with the “blood test poser”, he raised his hands and said that he was ready for it.

RJD’s Bhai Birendra said that there should be examination of everything, not just liquor. “Even dry intoxicants have infiltrated in a big way and it is high time the government woke up to the challenge,” he added.

RJD MLA Subedar Das also said that though problhibition was in force in the state and everyone backed it in the beginning, the ground realities were different, with supplies reaching homes.

The constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have also raised questions over the efficacy of prohibition in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha.

Rashtriya Lok Morcha legislator Madhav Anand on Tuesday said that time has come for a review of prohibition in the state due to the ground realities.

“Nitish government has taken many landmark decisions to improve the live of people. Prohibition was one decision that required a lot of courage and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took it, while all supported it. He is also known revoewing his decisions from time to time. Perhaps, time has come for review of prohibition and and efforts to create greater awareness among the people,” he added.

Prohibition was enforced in Bihar in April 2016 and now it is set to enter its 10th year. Though the government has tweaked the law many times in the light of demands, it has remained in force, with the government counting its benefits .

Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) patron and union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who has been one of the most vocal critics of the Bihar prohibition policy from within the ruling NDA alliance, has frequently raised the issue as one against the poor.

The issue of “dry intoxicants” (sukha nasha) and the rise in alternative substance abuse, following the 2016 alcohol prohibition, was also raised in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha during the ongoing budget session.