On March 30 the excise rules were amended after 101 years, by the Bihar assembly through unanimous resolution to insert stringent penalties for violating prohibition norms - including capital punishment for illicit liquor manufacturers whose brew causes deaths. “We have made all arrangements to implement a total ban on sale of country liquor. The government would act tough against those involved in making spurious liquor,” said Nitish

The prohibitory pledge which the members of the Bihar assembly adopted on March 30 is different from other states. This is also for the first time in the parliamentary history of the country a solemn pledge was undertaken by the framers of law in Bihar to refrain from booze. In a rare instance of unanimity the legislators pledged; we will not consume liquor and motivate others to stay away from it.” Under the provisions of the bill a person involved in illicit sale or manufacturing of liquor woiuld be awarded death penalty if consumption of such liquor causes death.

Niotish said; “Charity begins at home. If we are making a law, then we should unanimously pass a resolution from here itself. The message of unity in the form of a resolution that we will neither drink and nor promote drinking should go out to the people'. In the first phase, there will be a complete prohibition in rural areas besides a complete ban on country-made liquor across the state.

Apparently the chief minister Nitish Kumar is credited with keeping his poll promise made to the women voters of Bihar. But in reality this is manifestation of assertion of women power and more than that Nitish’s move to give a shape and consolidate this women power as his support base. Politically, the ban is a strategic move of the chief minister to consolidate his new constituency of three crore women electorate and also usher in a silent revolution of women empowerment through the formation of 10 lakh self-help groups (SHGs), which have been involved in enforcing the ban. In July last year, the CM had mooted the idea of prohibition when women members of SHGs demanded its inclusion in the state vision document 2025.

Interestingly to an assertion from Nitish' Na piyenge, na pilaney mei protsahit kerenge (Neither will I drink nor will I encourage drinking),' leader of Opposition Prem Kumar claimed that when his party was in the government, he had asked Nitish not to increase the number of liquor outlets. Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav objected, saying that under the oath of secrecy details of cabinet meetings were not supposed to be revealed.

This is nevertheless the major populist programme launched by Nitish during his ten years of rule. Though the government has announced that a comprehensive monitoring would be undertaken and the police should ensure that the ban is not violated, the fact remains that no substantive mechanism has been put in place to check the misuse of the provision and instill confidence in the people. Drinking in public places will invite 10 years' jail. Even drinking at home can lead to imprisonment up to five years if it creates 'public inconvenience.'

People have their own valid argument. A year back the Nitish government had cracked down on the sale of gutka. It had then claimed that since gutka was the prime factor for alarming increase in number of cancer cases in the state, the government would be ruthless in treating with the violators. But even today gutka is selling with impunity. The only positive development has been the weekly patronage money of police has gone up.

In fact allowing the sale of the IMFL in urban areas has turned the people skeptical of success of the partial prohibition. True enough Nitish himself said; “there could be a total ban on liquor in the next one year. We are doing it for a social cause and to save millions of households where women are subjected to domestic violence and family disintegration, besides facing social and health costs”. In fact he has also been trying to create an impression that for the sake of the peoples’ interest he was even ready to bear a loss of nearly Rs 4000 crores to the state exchequer.

As Bihar pushes for prohibition, officials and some politicians remember how the attempt to ban liquor during 1977 failed miserably with a nexus of corrupt officials, policemen, smugglers and bootleggers compromising the system. Karpoori Thakur who was chief minister tried to enforce the ban. With liquor shops closed, a large number of people switched over to 'toddy' as a substitute. During those days industries to manufacture ayurvedic medicines 'som ras', 'shakti ras', 'madhu ras' and 'joshvardhak ras' were established by unscrupulous elements. These supplemented the need of the drunkards. Even the state government issued proper licenses for manufacturing these 'medicines', which were used as substitutes for liquor.

The distilleries would manufacture liquor and get excise permits to send it to states where prohibition was not in place, but would ultimately distribute it in state. Constables who were supposed to accompany the liquor-laden trucks to their destinations from Bihar took money and rested at home. During those days, an indigenous courier network was set in place to reach liquor to households, officials and politicians.

Significantly, the day the assembly resolved to enforce prohibition two legislators, Congress MLC Dilip Choudhary and JDU's Rajkishore Kushwaha come to blows. Kushwaha even threatened to cut the tongue of his council colleague Choudhary. The House marshal had to intervene. Actually what triggered off the fight was a jovial remark from Choudhary He told Rajkishore not to worry about his drinks as he has two bottles of whisky which he would give to the JDU legislator. At this furiously retorted; 'Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is my God. I will abide by whatever he says.' In fact Dilip’s remark; 'He is a drunkard. Everybody knows it. How can he behave like this with me? He has gone mad. I will complain about him to Nitish Kumar,' simply aggravated the situation.

Meanwhile the government is planning to launch awareness drive about alcohol abstinence. The state Education department has decided to seek declarations from the fathers of the 73,000 students of primary and secondary schools in the state in which they would promise not to drink alcohol. “Since a commitment is made to a son or a daughter, this declaration (by the fathers) could be very effective in enforcing the liquor ban in the state,” said Nitish. (IPA Service)