Skip to main content

Bihar Liquor Ban - The Political Perspective


Whether you call it Nitish Kumar's masterstroke for gaining publicity and support of people or a responsible chief minister batting for people's interests, on the face of it, it is great that Bihar is free from alcohol abuse.
The Bihar excise (amendment) act, 2016 – a very old 1915 act has been converted into a very stringent law – is haunting the alcohol gang of Bihar. This law banned manufacturing, selling or consumption of liquors (strong or mild) and even prescribes the death penalty for the manufacturer, suppliers and sellers of hooch in case of death as a result of consumption of spurious liquors. Although Biharis can drink outside state boundary, they'll be punished if they create nuisance after returning home.

The government had actually proposed to ban only 'desi' liquors. The sale of non-country or ‘Indian Made Foreign Liquor’ (IMFL) was allowed, although, with some caveats. However, within five days, the government extended the ban to IMFL as well, making Bihar an absolutely alcohol-free state.

By taking this step, Nitish has taken a U-turn and rectified his earlier strategy. Yes, it was Nitish Kumar who allowed the liquor business to flourish in Bihar especially to the villages and semi-urban areas in order to increase revenues.  If we keep economy under consideration, without moral obligations, we'll find that Mr Kumar has made a big mistake. After all, Rs 4,000 crore, revenue is a major source of fund for a cash-starved government.

In the Bihar assembly election, 2015, Nitish Kumar had promised the caste-neutral constituency of women to ban liquors if he returned to power due to their persistent demand for it. The women voters were quite excited to about this topic. And, days after becoming Chief Minister again, Mr Kumar kept his promise with an announcement to Ban liquors showing once again that he is a "man of words".

The Government of India is running several campaigns to restrict the consumption of alcohol and other addictive substances. The government also levy a high tax on these items so that lack of money can be a reason for giving up this addiction. But, addiction is a very severe psychological disease. For a serious drunkard, alcohol is a matter of "life or death". Lack of money cannot diminish his cravings for alcohol.

By taking away alcohol from a hard-core alcoholic, it is like taking away his life. As addiction is not just a habit but a disease, therefore an alcohol addict need a proper medical care and psychological support to get out of this euphoria.

Other states should take the cue from Bihar and follow this model as soon as possible. Liquor was one of the primary sources for generating revenue. If cash deprived Bihar government can bear the monetary loss for a good social change, other states cannot make any excuse.

Also Read: Bihar Liquor Ban - Alcoholism and Society

Labels:

Comments

  1. Unknown1 June 2016 at 08:12

    I hope that doesnt lead to increased smuggling of liquor though!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Prasant3 June 2016 at 05:53

    It’s easier to get alcohol than food in Gujarat, with home-delivered bottles often a phone call away, thanks to small local suppliers, the Hindu reported last year. Do a simple search and you get the answer - http://www.livemint.com/Politics/PminUIJiL3vo0x8K45mgfM/How-Indian-states-have-fared-in-banning-alcohol.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amitesh Gupta3 June 2016 at 11:11

      Prasant, you are exaggerating things here. At least, we have a law that is empowering common people (the non-alcoholics) and curb the open sale of liquors!

      Delete
  3. Vinay Nagaraju3 June 2016 at 18:42

    Going the Gujarat way? This is interesting though. Shame that politics usually has such a large role to play in any of the decisions. I share the same fears as leena on this one though, the rise of smuggled and dangerous adulterated liquor

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Magical Castle - Sank Of SATAN-3O1

According to the weather forecast experts, it was an ideal weather for commencing a journey. Therefore, the ship SATAN-3O1 commenced its journey to Guyana. It was containing a large number of gold coins which was to be transported via sea route. During the start of this journey, everything was normal. However, somewhere in the mid sea, the weather became extreme. Suddenly, there were high tides, an unstopping rain and a violent storm. The captain and his co-workers fought the storm bravely but couldn't control the ship, and at last, the ship along with all the gold coins sank as the result of extreme weather. And, all the humans in the SATAN-3O1 became dinner of killer Sharks. The Magical Castle In the sea, the sank SATAN-3O1 has now a major attraction for the sea creatures. It has fallen into Octo uncle's territory. Octo was a wise octopus. He decided to build a castle, with the help of crab and sea ants, around it to protect them against theft. The ugly Octo has now beco...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nuclear Friction - Are We Moving Towards Nuclear Doomsday?

It was a moment of joy for the North Koreans when they heard the news that North Korea has successfully tested H-bomb on January 6th and thus “guaranteed the eternal future of the nation”. But it was also a shocking and despairing moment for others. Followed by the claim, came the condemnation from most other countries of the world including US, Japan, South Korea, and even China (supposed friend of N. Korea). But it was not unexpected that the North Koreans will do a further nuke test after the three previous ones in 2006, 2009 and 2013. But nobody on this earth, or even in space, thought that they would be able to do an H-bomb test. It was a second nuclear test only in four years during the rule of Kim Jong Un, the young head of the mafia family that controls North Korea is a sobering reminder of the progress that three generations of Kims have made in expanding their nuclear capability—despite outside efforts to curb it. Few think that North Korea has yet managed t...
2 comments
Read more

AAP - The Politics Of Hawabaazi And Dramebaazi

When the new party formed as an outcome of India Against Corruption movement, named as Aam Aadmi  Party, we felt quite romantic about it. It was formed with a promise of getting India rid of corruption. There were a lot of expectations from it. People thought ultimately there will be a party which will hear common man instead of big corporates and industrialists. So, people have trusted a man called Arvind Kejriwal not once, but twice! During the 2015 Delhi assembly election, The AAP in its manifesto gave several hawabaazi like providing free water, free WiFi, cutting the electricity Bill to half, opening more schools, colleges and hospitals. From aam aadmi , aam aurat to aam bacche  there was something for everyone. All this was to lure voters. And, seriously all these promises were no less than winning a jackpot. So, they have voted AAP. Without hesitation, I can say that the people of Delhi have trusted a wrong man. The so-called aam aadmi  can't bel...
2 comments
Read more

IS SECULARISM FADING AWAY?

First, a disclosure: I am a Hindu and have full faith in Hinduism but to show my faith I don't stoop to blaspheme other religions and troll using foul and filthy language on social media like some sick people who consider themselves as the biggest follower of Hinduism but actually insults it. I boast of Indian secularism and our constitution has a very important place for it as we know there is a huge cultural, linguistic and religious diversity exists in India. Since Independence, we never had a muscular secularism in which minorities have to live in fear. Anyone can practice any religion of his/her choice. But the present scenario in India is somewhat disturbing. Some nominal Hindu groups are making full efforts to make India as a Hindu Nation . Our prime minister does not speak to these issues and stick to his development agenda while opposition parties which call themselves as secular (probably because of vote-banks) demand an answer directly from PM and disrupt the parli...
Post a Comment
Read more

RediGo: The Car for India's Ready to Go Generation

This generation wants to explore and enjoy every moment of life. It is a generation of those who believe in hard work but, at the same time, cannot let it overshadow their enjoyment of life. That's why they are always on the go. This is the ready-to-go generation. And, no wonder, I am also a part of this generation, the generation that is full of fun and life. Despite having a very busy and hectic life, we are those who cannot afford to miss any fun out there. The definition of fun is, obviously, different for everyone. But, in general, as a part of human civilization, we love to hang out and spend quality time with our friends and families. Whether it is by enjoying food in a restaurant or going out for a long drive. Also, we seek freedom from all those things that restrict us to enjoy ourselves. Whether it is social norms or workload, nothing can stop us from doing what we want to do (except that it must be legal). We are the ones who do not let monotony of daily routine to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kolkata - Drive, Design and Connect

I went to Kolkata with my friends in holidays. We went there via railways, I still remember the great journey from New Delhi to Howrah through Rajdhani Express. We were three friends who agreed to visit Kolkata after a fierce debate. We want to travel to a city we have never been to. But this doesn't mean us to go to a lonely island. We preferred the city that must be well connected with the rest other parts of India and with good roads to drive on because we didn't want our body to be shaken by jerky roads while travelling the city. Kolkata was an ideal choice for us to enjoy our holidays. While reaching the Howrah junction, first we kept noticing the size of the station, the number of platforms and the number of people. I at once said this is too big! All my friends agreed. We also noticed the design and cleanliness of Howrah Junction. It is very much common to the Grand Central station of New York. While we were enjoying the beauty of Howrah junction, one of my friend br...
Post a Comment
Read more