Politicians' responsibility to ‘stop’ consumption of liquor in dry Bihar: Vijay Choudhary

Patna: Bihar minister Vijay Choudhary on Thursday said it was the collective responsibility of politicians cutting across party lines to "stop" and "control" liquor consumption in the dry state.

He was speaking in the Legislative Council during the ongoing Budget session.

Responding to allegations by opposition MLCs that liquor was widely available in the dry state, Choudhary said, "If liquor is found anywhere in the state, that is a bad thing, and opposition leaders should cooperate in stopping its consumption."

He clarified that the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, does not provide for a "ban on liquor" but criminalises its "production and consumption".

"The legislation says drinking liquor is a crime, which means it is not a ‘ban law’ but aims to ‘stop and control’ consumption," he said.

"It is the responsibility of all MLCs, as representatives of the people, to cooperate with the government in implementing the liquor prohibition law," he said.

Before the minister's address, RJD MLC Sunil Singh had claimed that "the prohibition law is not successful in Bihar." Responding to JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar’s allegation that the RJD had received donations from a liquor manufacturing company ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Singh levelled a similar charge against the ruling party.

"JD(U) received Rs 99 lakh per month from a liquor trade tycoon for five years," Singh alleged.

The Nitish Kumar government had banned the sale and consumption of liquor in the state in April 2016, citing rising number of cases of domestic violence.