Patna: Setting aside his tough stand on liquor, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to those who lost their lives due to spurious liquor after prohibition was implemented in April 2016.
“It is the poor who are dying of alcohol consumption. it is unfortunate. But they are also a part of our society,” said the Bihar chief minister, adding that he was still in favor of prohibition.
“But for the last three years, I have seen people dying of alcohol consumption despite being told not to drink,” he said.
According to informed sources, the affected families will have to apply to the District Magistrate and prove that the death was due to consumption of alcohol.
Nitish’s announcement was a U-turn from his stand in December in the backdrop of the hooch tragedy in Motihari in East Champaran district, when over 100 people died in Saran district after consuming illicit liquor.
As the tragedy occurred when the winter session of the Bihar Assembly was underway, the opposition had mounted pressure on Nitish. But he refused any compensation saying that “whoever drinks will die (Drinkers will die).
The CM had then rejected Congress leader Ajit Sharma’s plea in the Assembly for a review of the anti-liquor law.
Why is Nitish on the backfoot?
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi told ThePrint that Nitish was forced to back down because of the political impact of prohibition on him.
“The worst affected by the law are the poor from Dalit and backward communities. A large number of voters who have been hit by prohibition have now started voting against him and this was seen in the Kurhani by-election in December last year. Even from his colleagues he has been under tremendous pressure. Not only Congress, HAM chief Jitan Ram Manjhi is openly demanding scrapping of the law,” said the former deputy CM.
Welcoming the announcement, Modi said there is a screw in it. “The state is suppressing the number of deaths in poisoning tragedies. The Human Rights Commission has listed the Saran spurious liquor tragedy as the 76th, while the state is claiming 43. In most cases, there is no post-mortem and how can the poor be expected to come with the relevant documents,” he said.
Since April 1, 2016 – when the prohibition law was introduced – Bihar has been witness to tragedies big and small. In 2023, the death toll has already crossed 40, according to local media.
weaken the law
When the law was enacted in 2016, it was termed as draconian as it provided for a jail term of up to 10 years, sealing of premises where liquor is found, and confiscation of vehicles.
According to the Excise Department, about 4.5 lakh people have been arrested so far for violating liquor laws.
In 2022, the Supreme Court pulled up the Bihar government for jamming the judicial system with anti-liquor cases. The eastern state then decided to impose a fine of Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 on first-time offenders instead of sending them to jail.
“Now that Nitish has gone soft on the anti-liquor laws, it is expected that the entire law will be revisited. “The objective for which the prohibitory orders were imposed has not been achieved. On the other hand, the trend of drug addiction has increased among the youth. It is time for Nitishji to revisit the entire policy as it is the Dalits who have suffered the most,” said Upendra Prasad, former MLC and National Executive member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
“It is time for a complete review, although this does not mean a complete retreat. But there are differences even within the ruling coalition. Tejashwi doesn’t have the same passion as Nitish about prohibition. I have heard from the youth that prohibition will be abolished after Tejashwi comes to power. The boatmen are making noise. NK Chowdhary, a former professor at Patna University, said, “Nitish cannot ignore the political signals.”
(Edited by Tony Rae)
Read also: ‘Sad, but people shouldn’t be drinking’