Patna (Bihar): Former Bihar Chief Minister and union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has asked Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to reconsider liquor ban in the state alleging double standards in the implementation of law in this regard.
In a statement on Friday, Manjhi said, “We have always been saying that there is nothing wrong in the liquor ban law. But there is disparity in the implementation of the law. Poor people are sent to jail, while those who smuggle thousands of lakhs of liters of liquor get away”.
“All of us white-collar people drink alcohol at night but the police do not arrest us,” said the union minister adding “if we drink alcohol at night, we are not caught but the poor are caught. The policy should not be double-faced like this”.
Manjhi urged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to review the liquor ban for the welfare of people.
“Nitish Kumar is realistic. Four and a half lakh poor people are in jail over flimsy cases. The Chief Minister should take cognizance of this. Poor people are being harassed by this law,” he added.
Besides Manjhi, poll strategist Prashant Kishor has also demanded a review of the Bihar liquor ban law.
Bihar Liquor Ban
The Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had imposed a blanket ban on liquor in April 2016 in view of widespread protests by the women folks across the state. Kumar had promised to implement the liquor ban policy ahead of the 2015 assembly election in the state.
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