Patna, Oct 18 (IANS): Bihar Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav on Friday criticised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over the ineffective implementation of the liquor ban following the recent alcohol-related tragedies in Siwan and Saran, calling it an “institutional corruption”.
He accused the Chief Minister of ideological inconsistency, lack of willpower, and over-reliance on select officials rather than elected public representatives, which, Yadav claimed has rendered the liquor ban a ‘super flop’ in Bihar.
He further alleged that a nexus between ruling politicians, police, and the liquor mafia has allowed a thriving black market in illegal liquor, valued at more than ?30,000 crore.
He claimed that despite the prohibition law, vast quantities of illegal liquor continue to flow into the state. Citing information from an "honest senior police officer," Yadav pointed out that 3.46 lakh litres of liquor have been reportedly confiscated in Bihar.
He added that the authorities only pretended to crack down on the illegal liquor trade and accused the police of seizing a few broken-down trucks while allowing larger consignments to pass, indicating widespread corruption.
“When 20 trucks laden with liquor were smuggled in Bihar, the police only seized one truck in which some other liquids were being filled instead of liquor,” Yadav said.
In a series of direct questions, Yadav challenged the Chief Minister to take responsibility for the ongoing failures of the liquor ban.
“How such large quantities of liquor are being recovered annually despite the prohibition law imposed in Bihar. Who is ultimately accountable for the continued illicit trade of liquor in the state,” Yadav asked.
He added that the deaths due to spurious liquor in Bihar amount to murders. “It is not just accidents. I demanded accountability for these tragedies,” Yadav said.
Referring to the recent seizures of liquor in the state capital Patna, Yadav said: “If alcohol is seized in Patna, it must have passed through five to six districts. This is the indication of failure of the police forces in all these districts.”
He added that the liquor mafias influence the posting of SPs in border districts through "open bidding" with the involvement of a retired officer acting as a middleman.
“Thereby, allowing the liquor mafia to select which officers get assigned to critical districts,” he said.
Highlighting the massive scale of prohibition-related arrests, Yadav cited government figures showing that since the enforcement of the liquor ban until August 2024, 8.43 lakh cases of prohibition law violations have been registered, and 12.7 lakh people have been arrested.
“Why the majority of those arrested belong to poor and marginalised communities, while very few senior officials or influential figures face action. The Chief Minister must disclose how many high-ranking officers have been punished or dismissed for failure to enforce prohibition effectively,” he said.
He said that despite the 6,600 raids per day, the illegal liquor smuggling continues unabated.
“Would the Chief Minister, who also is the state’s Home Minister, will take responsibility for it and mass deaths in Saran and Siwan,” he said.
He also alleged that many JD-U leaders and workers are being caught violating the liquor ban, suggesting that there is a deeper problem of political complicity in the state's liquor trade.
He also asked the Chief Minister to explain how liquor shops managed to proliferate across Bihar’s towns and cities prior to the ban and called for accountability from the ruling administration.