Jitan Ram Manjhi Criticises Bihar's Liquor Ban Implementation, Urges CM Nitish Kumar For Review

Bihar's liquor ban has once again come under scrutiny, with Union Minister and former state chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi openly criticising its implementation.

In Jamui, Manjhi expressed his dissatisfaction with how the prohibition law is enforced. He accused the Bihar government of targeting poor citizens while letting large-scale liquor smugglers go free.

Manjhi, whose Hindustani Awam Morcha is part of the National Democratic Alliance government, where he serves as a minister, stated that Bihar's liquor law disproportionately affects the poor.

He highlighted the irony of daily wage labourers being jailed for consuming small quantities of alcohol, while influential figures such as police officers, judges, and government officials consume alcohol with impunity.

"Thousands of litres of liquor are smuggled, and those responsible pay their way out, but the poor go to jail for just 250 ml," Manjhi remarked.

The former Bihar CM also acknowledged that while he supports the liquor ban in principle, the law's implementation is deeply flawed. He argued that it has led to the rise of toxic homemade liquor, which primarily impacts poor communities.

In a bold statement given on 13 September 2024, Manjhi admitted that even he and other elites drink alcohol at night, yet they face no consequences. "We white-collar people drink at night, and we aren't arrested. But when a poor man does the same, he is jailed," he said.

Manjhi urged Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to conduct a fourth review of the prohibition law, emphasising that the previous three reviews did not resolve its issues.

Manjhi claimed that over 450,000 poor individuals have been imprisoned under the law, while the wealthy continue to escape punishment. He thanked Kumar for previous reviews but stressed the need for further amendments to address these inequalities.

Bihar introduced a total prohibition on liquor in April 2016 under Chief Minister Kumar. While the move was initially hailed as progressive, its implementation has been heavily criticised.

The liquor ban has also led to a significant rise in the production of illegal, toxic alcohol, resulting in several deaths and health crises in the state.