As the number of people killed in accidents in Saran and Siwan districts is increasing, Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav has tried to relieve the pressure by saying that more such incidents have happened in BJP-ruled states.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav; (Photo: ANI)
As the death toll in spurious liquor incidents in Bihar crossed 70 (66 in Saran district and five in Siwan) on 17 December and preliminary investigations indicated consumption of spurious liquor, Nitish Kumar to enforce prohibition in Bihar The contradiction between the determination of the government again hit the headlines. The state and the alcoholics are not ready to give up this habit. It is being told that the people killed in the accident had consumed poisonous liquor made locally. The deaths are being reported since the night of 13 December.
Poisonous liquor or illegally/wrongly made liquor is fatal due to the presence of methanol in large quantities. ‘Country liquor’ or cheap distilled liquor is adulterated with industrial alcohol or methanol to increase its alcoholic strength.
In a curious reaction to opposition BJP’s criticism and disruption of the Legislative Assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on 16 December accused the party of spreading misinformation. He also cited a reply by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in Parliament on July 19 that states such as Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat had reported higher incidence of poisoning deaths between 2016 and 2020.
While Tejashwi spoke in the context of the toxic tragedies happening across the country, he seems to have sidelined the need to address the domestic crisis. The shocking irony is that the deaths due to spurious liquor in Bihar have failed to stop both the suppliers and consumers of spurious liquor. “Since everything depends on supply and demand, it is important to hit both ends,” said a senior Patna police officer.
Although Nitish government’s prohibition policy has been appreciated outside Bihar as well, but like any other policy, its implementation has also been lacking. “The deaths of Saran have once again raised red flags. This is where Tejashwi Yadav’s health department should swerve into action and focus on spreading awareness about ill-effects of alcohol. So far, we have only seen the chief minister speaking about it,” said a senior IAS officer in Patna.
Complete prohibition was implemented in Bihar in April 2016. In the last few years, the state has witnessed a drastic decline in the number of liquor consumers. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2015-16 found that nearly 29 per cent of Bihar’s residents consume alcohol. NFHS 2019-21 states that 17 per cent of the people in the state consume alcohol.
Out of 38 districts of Bihar, 22 districts share border with other states (Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal) and Nepal. “People from the border districts of Bihar drink in other states, which explains why there are still around 17 per cent alcoholics in the state,” the IPS officer said.
Sociologist Dr. Gyanendra Yadav, who teaches at Patna University, however, has a different opinion on the problem of spurious liquor. “Even before prohibition was implemented, more than 70 per cent people in Bihar did not consume alcohol. They may not have had the taste, desire or need to do so. The urge to drink should come from within. The government needs to create awareness about the ill effects of alcohol. Without this, prohibition may not be as effective and incidents of spurious liquor will continue in the state,” Yadav said.