Will not roll back liquor ban in Bihar, says Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday asserted that the liquor ban will continue in the state and there is no question of rolling back prohibition.

Addressing a gathering at the "Nasha Mukti Diwas" programme in Gyan Bhavan here, Nitish Kumar said: "The Liquor Prohibition Law was imposed in Bihar in 2016 on women's demand. We had initially imposed a partial ban only in rural areas but as women of urban areas also demanded the same, we imposed a complete liquor ban."

He pointed out that the decision was taken after an all-party meeting. Hence, those who are pointing fingers at the decision should also remind themselves of that meeting.

On the occasion, 3.5 lakh government and private sector employees took an oath not to consume liquor for the rest of their lives.

The Chief Minister justified the police action in public places, especially Patna police entering the rooms of brides in marriage halls.

"Police will check any place in the state where liquor consumption could be possible," he said.

"When I was a school going student, I had an allergy to drunk men. I had already decided that once I got a chance to prevent people from drinking liquor in any stage of my life, I would do it. Liquor is a bad substance. It can take life and people can also contract serious diseases," the JD(U) leader said.

"How liquor can take lives is visible in Bihar. If anyone drinks wrong things like liquor, they would die. Twenty seven per cent of the people dying in road accidents are under the influence of liquor. Eighteen per cent people involved in quarrels and 17 per cent people committing suicide across the world were in a drunken state," he said.