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Liquor Ban: Women, Not Men, Are in High Spirits

In less than five months, Nitish has fulfilled his poll-eve promise to Bihar women of banning alcohol.

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On July 9, 2015, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, after addressing women activists in Patna’s SK Memorial Hall, had barely taken his seat when a woman from the 2,000-odd audience said, “Mukhyamantri Ji, sharab band karaiye. Ghar barbad ho raha hai.”

Emboldened, other women too joined the chorus. Nitish got up from his chair and announced, “If I am voted to power again in the November election, I will ensure liquor is banned in Bihar.”

In less than five months, Nitish has fulfilled his poll-eve promise to Bihar women of banning alcohol.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. (Photo: PTI)

In less than five months, Nitish has fulfilled his poll-eve promise and redressed the long-pending grievances of women, who, in the just-concluded election, reposed implicit faith in him despite Lalu giving him company.

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Motivation Behind the Liquor Ban

The demand for ban on liquor had been raised over the years after Nitish, assuming charge in 2005, revised the excise policy leading to mushrooming of liquor shops, which eventually resulted in surge of revenue collection by the Excise Department.

But the increase in revenue was directly proportional to the growth in cases of domestic violence.

It was then that some women activists in Champaran took an informal decision to stem the rot. The movement began from Domath village near Bettiah where anyone found drunk would be paraded publicly, after his wife, with a garland of shoes. This kind of humiliation had its cascading effect. Sale of liquor in that particular village stopped.

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Grievances of Womenfolk

At Ramzanpur village in Barbigha, closer to Nitish’s hometown Nalanda, the local panchayat issued a diktat that those found selling liquor would be fined Rs 10,000, while those consuming would have to shell out Rs 2,500, besides being flogged. The move yielded desired result.

But it was not so elsewhere. Women complained of liquor shops being opened at every nook and corner, including near schools, colleges and religious places.

In less than five months, Nitish has fulfilled his poll-eve promise to Bihar women of banning alcohol.
Nitish Kumar assured Bihar women that if he came to power, he would do something about the alcohol problem that was prevalent all over the state. Photo: PTI

Before the elections, they made complaints about it to Nitish at most of his rallies. The JD-U leader assured that if voted to power, he would ameliorate their grievance.

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Impact on Revenue

Before giving such an assurance, Nitish knew the financial consequences of his ban order. After all, the revenue of Excise Department had witnessed a quantum leap from Rs 295 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 3,220 crore in 2014-15. In the current financial year, the revenue target is estimated to be Rs 4,000 crore (by March 31, 2016).

“I know there will be huge revenue loss in the cash-strapped State. But that will be offset with other means. As of now, the growth in sale of liquor has adversely impacted households of poorest of the poor in rural areas. This has to stop. I am of firm opinion that Bihar has to enforce prohibition with effect from April 1, 2016
Nitish, barely six days after being sworn-in as CM again.

This is the second time that liquor has been banned in Bihar. In 1977, the then Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur had enforced prohibition. But it could not be effective. As a consequence, the order had to be reversed after 18 months. Nitish is, however, not known to roll back his decisions so easily.

(The writer is a Bihar-based journalist)

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Topics:  Bihar Government 

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