Patna, March 6 Amid growing debate over Bihar's liquor ban, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has made a bold election promise to revise the existing law and reinstate pre-2016 provisions if the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) forms the next government.
He said that toddy would be excluded from the liquor ban. However, he has not said anything about liquor ban would be lifted or not.
Yadav criticised the current prohibition policy, stating that it has failed miserably. He argued that it led to the arrests of 18 people every hour in Bihar. He also said that over 2,000 deaths were due to toxic liquor and severe economic losses to the state exchequer.
“If elected, toddy (fermented palm sap) will be excluded from the liquor ban as it is a source of livelihood for a large number of people in Bihar,” Yadav said.
“The Patna High Court has criticised the prohibition policy, stating that the law has deviated from its objective and is being misused by the police for repression. The government has not provided compensation to families of those who died due to spurious liquor,” Yadav said.
CM Nitish Kumar has defended prohibition since 2016, claiming it benefits women and families. Opposition parties argue the ban has created a booming black market and has become a tool for police harassment.
A liquor ban emerges as a key election issue in every Bihar Assembly election.
As tensions rise between RJD and Congress within the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav has responded sharply to Congress' claim that Rahul Gandhi will decide the CM candidate after the elections.
Tejashwi dismissed Congress’ claim, asserting: "Neither I nor they will decide the CM. The people of Bihar will decide,” he said.
Congress leaders have been hinting at contesting elections independently, creating tensions in the alliance.
Rahul Gandhi’s influence over seat-sharing and leadership has been questioned by RJD.
The RJD is the dominant party in the Grand Alliance and Congress is pushing for a bigger role, causing friction.
Tejashwi’s leadership remains undisputed within the RJD, but Congress’ demands may complicate negotiations. A divided Mahagathbandhan could weaken its chances against the BJP-JDU alliance.
Tejashwi Yadav also said he will form the youth commission within a month if the RJD-Mahagathbandhan comes to power in Bihar after the 2025 assembly election.
“We also implement the domicile policy in Bihar where the youth of the state will get preference in government jobs,” Yadav said. Tejashwi Yadav promised to create job opportunities in the state.
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