Bihar’s proposal to ban the sale of liquor in the state from April 1, 2016 has sparked off a debate with the usual divide between those for and against the ban. This is indeed a very tricky situation because till date there is no absolute proof to show the extent of success prohibition has had in curbing domestic violence, one of the main reasons for banning the sale of liquor. Chief minister Nitish Kumar probably came in with such a huge majority because the women may have voted for him en masse, as they did in AP where then chief minister N.T. Rama Rao promised total prohibition primarily to curb domestic violence.
Bihar depends on excise collections of nearly Rs 4,000 crore from sale of liquor and Mr Kumar is prepared to forego this to keep his electoral promise. Those against the ban say this will lead to large-scale bootlegging, corruption and sale of spurious liquor leading to deaths. As far as spurious liquor goes, Maharashtra has no prohibition yet there have been several deaths caused by spurious liquor. In a knee-jerk reaction, liquor company shares have taken a hit. Some of them have been promoting liquor among the youth and in Bihar at least they will see a drop in sales. One will have to see whether prohibition in Bihar, if implemented, meets with more success than it did in other states, like Gujarat, where those who want to drink have no difficulty acquiring alcohol. Mr Kumar has asked his officials to see that the liquor mafia does not flourish. One can only wish him luck.
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