Nitish Kumar imposing Turkish policy in prohibiting liquor

Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Giriraj Singh on Thursday said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is imposing a Turkish kind of policy to ensure the effectiveness of his liquor prohibition.

"The high court has dismissed the Turkish policy of Nitish Kumar. We also support a liquor ban in the country, but Turkish policy should not be there. For keeping illegal arms, people are imprisoned for seven years, but if a bottle of liquor is found in someone's home, then 10 years of imprisonment and Rs. 10 lakh fine. Everyone will go to jail, including the senior members of a house. This policy can never be accepted by anyone in this democratic society," Singh told ANI.

At a special Cabinet meeting, held on Sunday, the Nitish Kumar government notified the new Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 which ensured complete ban on sale and consumption of liquor - both Indian Made Foreign Liquor and country-made - in the state with immediate effect.

The Nitish Kumar Cabinet also took a pledge that the government would continue with "total prohibition."

Kumar said that liquor ban would be reinforced in the state, and if need be, his government would approach the Supreme Court on the matter.

Last month, the Patna High Court struck down the Bihar Governments Prohibition of Liquor Act, terming it as 'illegal'.