Prohibition law needs review to curb illegal liquor trade: Chirag Paswan

Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Friday said Bihar’s prohibition law has failed to curb illegal liquor trade and needs review. His remarks came amid concerns over poor implementation, while state minister Dilip Jaiswal rejected calls for reconsideration, blaming liquor mafias and consumers

Patna: Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Friday said Bihar’s prohibition law in its present form had failed to achieve its objective and needed to be reviewed. Speaking to reporters here, Paswan said the law had failed to eliminate the illegal liquor trade in the state. “Even after prohibition was implemented, reports of liquor sale, purchase and manufacture, including spurious liquor, continue to emerge. The policy’s objective is not being fulfilled, and the law needs to be reviewed to make it more effective,” the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief said.

Paswan said his party had supported the prohibition law when it was introduced in 2016 despite being in the opposition. He said there was now a need to create mass awareness about the harmful effects of liquor consumption.

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The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) is an alliance partner of the NDA both in Bihar and at the Centre. His comments come days after Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader and Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi raised the issue of poor implementation of the prohibition law in the state and demanded enforcing Bihar’s prohibition law along the lines of the Gujarat model.

However, ruling out any possibility of a review of the liquor prohibition law, state minister Dilip Jaiswal recently asserted that the campaign against the ban was being driven by the “liquor mafia” and some “liquor lovers”.