Bihar must review liquor ban

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s decision to ban alcohol in the state from April 1, 2016, is a shortsighted move. Granted that Kumar was fulfilling an election promise but the fact remains it is next to impossible to enforce prohibition. Those who consume alcohol will somehow get it, and worse, prohibition will see the mushrooming of illicit liquor. There have been several instances where illicit liquor has turned into a killer brew, claiming the lives of hundreds of poor people. The ban on liquor means over Rs 3,500 crore worth revenue will not accrue to the Bihar exchequer. For a state like Bihar which has been battling under-development for several years now, this money means a lot. Kumar has made it clear he is aware of the revenue loss but that he is willing to brave it. The chief minister should know that he is not the first to impose prohibition. Bihar under Karpoori Thakur tried prohibition way back in 1977-79, but had to give it up.

History is replete with failed attempts at prohibition. The US experience between 1920-33 is the most illuminative in this context. Underground syndicates and crime gangs proliferated in the US during this period, thriving on illegal sale of liquor. Within India, several states have imposed prohibition, only to lift it subsequently. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Haryana tried and failed. In Tamil Nadu, prohibition has, over the years, become a victim of politics between the AIADMK and the DMK with one imposing it and the other lifting it, and vice versa. Kumar must specifically study the case of Mizoram, which after 18 years of prohibition, lifted it earlier this year. Manipur, where prohibition has been in vogue since 1991, is on the verge of totally lifting it, after permitting alcohol in five hill districts since 2002. Nagaland too has conceded failure and is considering lifting prohibition. Gujarat is the most quoted example of a state with prohibition since 1960. But, by all accounts, liquor is easily available there in the black market. So, prohibition in Mahatma Gandhi’s birth state is farcical.

The Bihar chief minister, like many others before him, is in favour of prohibition as there is a vocally strong anti-liquor lobby. Unfortunately, however, the reality of liquor consumption is too widespread and deep for any government to forcefully stop it. The other point is such bans go against the individual’s right to food consumption and intrudes on his/her personal space. If the intention is to curb drinking of liquor, Nitish Kumar would do well to think of innovative ways to do it, rather than by force.