PATNA, In a significant development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has categorically stated that it will persist with the prohibition of liquor in Bihar, rebuffing Jitan Ram Manjhi’s recent assertions. The announcement, made by BJP State President Samrat Choudhary, comes shortly after Manjhi, the founder of Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), declared that the liquor ban would be lifted if the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) assumes power in the state after the 2025 assembly elections.
“BJP purn roop se sharab-bandi ke paksh me hai aur aage bhi sharab-bandi jari rahegi (BJP favors total prohibition and will continue to support it),” stated Choudhary during a media briefing.
Earlier in the day, Manjhi presented an alternative perspective, stating, “We will implement either the Gujarat model of prohibition or simply withdraw the liquor ban. In the past as well, liquor was not banned here.” He alleged that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had initially issued licenses for liquor sales at the village level between 2005 and 2010 and later imposed a blanket ban. Manjhi argued that the poor and Dalit communities bore the brunt of the liquor ban, claiming that nearly 80% of those incarcerated under liquor-related laws belonged to economically disadvantaged classes.
Accusing the Chief Minister of being “anti-Dalit,” Manjhi asserted that Nitish Kumar had never worked for the welfare of deprived sections of society. “He made me the chief minister one day, but when I started acting in people’s interest, he threw me out to grab the chair again,” he alleged.
The BJP’s firm stance on maintaining the liquor ban sets the stage for a political contest over this contentious issue in the upcoming elections, shaping the discourse on governance priorities in Bihar.
