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Nitish Kumar kickstarts anti-liquor campaign in Jharkhand

Kumar alleged that since liquor has been banned in Bihar, Jharkhand govt has been setting up liquor shops in Bihar.

Dhanbad: Bihar Chief Minister

Dhanbad: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday launched the anti-liquor campaign in Jharkhand here and came down heavily on the state government for allegedly setting up liquor shops in Jharkhand-Bihar border.

Kumar, who was addressing an anti-liquor meeting organized by Nari Shangarsh Morcha, Dhanbad at Town Hall alleged that since liquor has been banned in Bihar, Jharkhand government has been setting up liquor shops in neighbouring districts of Bihar.

"And this was in violation of Excise Act 2000 which bans sale of wine within three km radius of a border," Kumar said, adding the Jharkhand government has enhanced the minimum quota of liquor shops by 40-50 per cent in adjacent districts to Bihar ever since the ban was imposed.

Asserting the "Anti-liquor campaign is voice of 50 per cent population of (women) and no one can crush it now," Kumar said the campaign, which began in Bihar, has taken momentum and would now spread to other parts of the country.

Kumar said the campaign would continue and whoever would call him from anywhere he would squeeze some time and go there to narrate success story of Bihar.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Vikash Morcha (P) Babu Lal Marandi was present there and shared dais with Nitish Kumar.

Taking a dig at Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das over his comment that the state would adopt the Gujarat model not Bihar model, Nitish said that he (Raghubar Das) must follow Gujarat model which had banned liquor sale following creation of state.

"Ban on liquor is Gandhiji model and that is why he (Nitish ) now adopts it on the centenary year of Gandhiji's Champaran Satyagraha," he said.

on Tuesday launched the anti-liquor campaign in Jharkhand here and came down heavily on the state government for allegedly setting up liquor shops in Jharkhand-Bihar border.

Kumar, who was addressing an anti-liquor meeting organized by Nari Shangarsh Morcha, Dhanbad at Town Hall alleged that since liquor has been banned in Bihar, Jharkhand government has been setting up liquor shops in neighbouring districts of Bihar.

"And this was in violation of Excise Act 2000 which bans sale of wine within three km radius of a border," Kumar said, adding the Jharkhand government has enhanced the minimum quota of liquor shops by 40-50 per cent in adjacent districts to Bihar ever since the ban was imposed.

Asserting the "Anti-liquor campaign is voice of 50 per cent population of (women) and no one can crush it now," Kumar said the campaign, which began in Bihar, has taken momentum and would now spread to other parts of the country.

Kumar said the campaign would continue and whoever would call him from anywhere he would squeeze some time and go there to narrate success story of Bihar.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Vikash Morcha (P) Babu Lal Marandi was present there and shared dais with Nitish Kumar.

Taking a dig at Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das over his comment that the state would adopt the Gujarat model not Bihar model, Nitish said that he (Raghubar Das) must follow Gujarat model which had banned liquor sale following creation of state.

"Ban on liquor is Gandhiji model and that is why he (Nitish ) now adopts it on the centenary year of Gandhiji's Champaran Satyagraha," he said.

( Source : PTI )
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