Patna, Feb 25 (PTI) Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha on Wednesday asserted that the government is fully committed to strictly implement the liquor prohibition law in the state.
Sinha was responding to RJD leader Sunil Singh’s allegation that the liquor prohibition law is an “absolute failure in Bihar”. The opposition MLC also claimed that he will demonstrate the delivery of alcohol on the premises of the Legislative Council.
The Bihar government in 2016 enforced a complete ban on the manufacture, trade, storage, transportation, sale, and consumption of liquor and intoxicants in the state. However, this led to scores of hooch tragedies resulting in numerous deaths.
The Patna High Court recently criticised the Bihar government over the “failure” of the state machinery in effectively implementing the prohibition law, and warned that citizens’ lives were being put at risk.
Talking to reporters outside the House, Sinha said, “Everybody had resolved to ensure liquor prohibition in the state. If there are loopholes in its implementation, people should come up with suggestions to fix them. The government is fully committed to enforcing prohibition in the state.” Earlier in the day, Sunil Singh alleged that since the 2016 ban, liquor consumption in Bihar has rather increased several times over, and has manifested into a massive industry.
He also claimed that he can show delivery of liquor within the Legislative Council premises on camera.
“On the last day of the Budget session, February 27, bring your cameras, and I will show you liquor being delivered right here,” Singh told reporters on the Council premises.
The RJD MLC further claimed that liquor is available in the most sensitive areas of the state capital, which house VVIPs and ministers.
“It is an open secret that even students are engaged in delivering liquor on bikes and scooters all across the state,” he alleged.
Singh also claimed that Bihar, despite being a dry state, consumes more alcoholic beverages than places like Punjab, Bengaluru, Pune, or Delhi, adding that “trade in liquor has become quite lucrative here due to flawed policies”.
“Bihar is bordered by Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bengal, and Nepal; none of which has a liquor ban in place. Therefore, it is unrealistic to think Bihar can be completely dry,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Ram Kripal Yadav said that Sunil Singh should not have raised those issues.
“It is very unfortunate that an educated person like him is speaking such things. He should not make such utterances,” Yadav said.
On Singh’s claim that he can demonstrate delivery of liquor in VVIP areas, Yadav said, “RJD leaders may possibly be instructing their people to make such delivery as part of a conspiracy to derail liquor ban in the state. They are masters of such acts.” He, however, admitted that isolated cases of deaths occurring from the consumption of spurious liquor have surfaced from time to time.
“It is true that such cases come up occasionally, but the government takes strict action against the culprits. It is the need of the hour to enforce the liquor ban stringently,” Yadav said. PTI SUK NN
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