Minister Madan Sahni’s strong statement on liquor ban in Bihar: Said – There is no compromise with the law, has this increased the problems of the government?

The issue of complete prohibition has once again become the biggest focus in the politics of Bihar. State Prohibition, Excise and Registration Minister Madan Sahni has announced in clear words that the government is not going to back down from this law. While addressing the media after the public hearing program organized at JDU office in Patna, he bluntly said that there will be no compromise of any kind with the currently applicable liquor prohibition law. After this sharp and clear stand of the Minister, the discussion has intensified in the administrative and political circles whether there is any major internal tussle going on within the NDA alliance on this issue.

Different voices and political murmurs within the alliance

In Bihar, while on one hand JDU considers this law as its biggest ideological and social achievement, on the other hand, demands for its review or change have been raised many times from within the NDA. Opposition parties are continuously cornering the government claiming the failure of this law. Amidst all this, this statement of Minister Madan Sahni is a direct attempt to put an end to all the speculations in which it was being said that the government can make policy changes under pressure. He stressed that the main objective of this law was to improve the living standards of the deprived sections of the society, the poor and women, and the government fully stands by its commitment.

Along with liquor smugglers, the crackdown on companies will also be tightened

Madan Sahni not only reiterated the old policies but also issued a new warning making it more aggressive. He said that the department has given strict instructions that if liquor or illegal consignment of any company is caught within the borders of Bihar, then FIR will be lodged not only against the carrier or smuggler but also against the concerned parent company. The government is now going to widen the legal noose in this matter so that the roots of the illegal network can be reached. This step is being considered a big and tough decision at the administrative level.

This law is related to the interests of women and the poor

While giving arguments in favor of his statement, the Minister also enumerated in detail the social benefits of this historic decision taken ten years ago. He said that the biggest benefit from this law has been given to those families where hardworking people used to waste a large part of their hard-earned money on drugs. The government believes that due to its implementation, cases of domestic violence have reduced and better attention is being given to children’s education and family nutrition. However, after this strong statement of the Minister, it will be interesting to see what reaction comes from the opposition and allies.