The Bihar Assembly’s budget session, set to conclude Friday, has been a battleground over the state’s liquor ban. Opposition voices from RJD have grown louder, labeling the 2016 law a complete mockery amid reports of unchecked smuggling and deliveries.
In a bold press interaction within assembly premises, RJD MLA Bhai Virendra highlighted the absurdity: liquor is being delivered to homes despite heavy border security. He alleged high-level NDA complicity, noting that daily consumption now exceeds pre-prohibition figures. ‘The government must act decisively,’ he demanded.
Tensions peaked with RJD MLC Sunil Kumar’s Wednesday challenge—he vowed to demonstrate liquor delivery inside the legislature on the final day. Kumar decried the ban’s aftermath: alcohol sales have multiplied, and synthetic drugs are wreaking havoc on young lives, far worse than before.
JD(U)’s Neeraj Kumar retaliated swiftly, eyeing February 27 for potential busts. ‘Try it, and feel the law’s wrath,’ he challenged, while exposing RJD’s electoral bond hauls from booze barons totaling Rs 46 crore plus. This tit-for-tat exposes the ban’s fragility, fueling debates on its effectiveness.
Bihar’s prohibition experiment, championed by CM Nitish Kumar, faces mounting scrutiny. Smugglers exploit porous borders from neighboring states, generating mafia-like networks. Supporters tout moral victories and revenue savings, but detractors point to enforcement lapses and political hypocrisy. As the session ends, unresolved questions linger: can the law be salvaged, or is reform inevitable?