Amid speculation that the new NDA government might review or lift the liquor ban, partly due to calls from allies citing revenue losses, newly appointed Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary has affirmed that the state’s decade-old prohibition law, introduced under Nitish Kumar, will continue.
The speculation had intensified after NDA allies, including Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) MLA Madhav Anand, JD(U) MLA Anant Singh, and HAM (S) supremo Jitan Ram Manjhi, raised concerns over the policy.
A day after the formation of the new government, Madhav Anand met the Chief Minister and strongly demanded an end to prohibition. This was followed by JD(U) MLA from Mokama, Anant Singh, who met Chaudhary on Friday and emphasised the need to scrap the ban.
Jitan Ram Manjhi has consistently called for a review of the liquor ban, alleging that its implementation disproportionately targets the poor while shielding smugglers. He has also cited harassment of economically weaker sections and revenue losses as key concerns.
The growing chorus among alliance partners had fuelled speculation that the BJP-led government might adopt a model similar to Gujarat, where restricted consumption is permitted in certain areas to boost tourism and tax revenue.
However, Chaudhary dismissed the possibility of rolling back the law, indicating instead that the government would address gaps in its implementation and enforce prohibition more strictly.
At a meeting late Friday evening, Chaudhary said, “PM Narendra Modi and former CM Nitish Kumar fully support it. In fact, the Prime Minister said at a Patna function that prohibition was the best decision of Nitish Kumar’s tenure as Chief Minister. We will, however, crack down on the illegal liquor trade, especially spurious liquor that has caused several hooch tragedies in recent years.”
Welcoming the statement, RJD state spokesperson Ejaz Ahmad said the Chief Minister should also have acknowledged that prohibition was implemented in 2016 during the Grand Alliance government at the insistence of its leader Tejashwi Yadav, who was then Deputy Chief Minister.
He said, “This comes as a setback to those NDA leaders who were repeatedly calling for a review in the interest of the liquor mafia.”