Tejashwi sceptical of proposed amendment in Bihar prohibition law

The chief minister has vowed to crack down on bootleggers with an iron hand, calling for surveillance with the help of drones, sniffer dogs, and helicopters.However, Yadav said the government was simply busy diverting public attention towards non-issues so that questions were not asked about the states dismal track record about job creation, education, and health.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday claimed that the proposed amendment in Bihar’s prohibition law, offering exemption from jail term to those who inform on their suppliers after getting drunk, could be flagrantly misused for settling personal scores.

The proposed amendment received the Cabinet nod on Tuesday and is likely to come into force after it is passed by the legislature.

Yadav, who is the leader of the opposition in the assembly, sneered when he was asked about the amendment by journalists.

Pointing towards his senior party colleague Alok Mehta, he said “suppose Alok ji gets drunk and he has been nursing a grouse against me, he can falsely claim before the police that he has been supplied liquor by Tejashwi”.

Amid peals of laughter, he continued “this ridiculous amendment is vulnerable to such misuse. It is appalling that this government is unable to mend its ways even though it has been repeatedly rebuked by the judiciary”.

Speculations are rife that the proposed amendment has been mooted following Chief Justice of India N Ramanna having expressed displeasure over the state’s prohibition law leading to “clogging” of courts with bail petitions.

The sale and consumption of liquor was completely banned in the state by the Nitish Kumar government in 2016 when incidentally Yadav was his deputy.

Nonetheless, implementation of prohibition has remained questionable and there have been allegations that those with pockets deep enough were getting liquor delivered to their homes while the poor were either getting booked for violating the law or dying upon consumption of hooch.

More than 50 persons have died in the state in the last few months after consumption of spurious liquor. The chief minister has vowed to crack down on bootleggers with an iron hand, calling for surveillance with the help of drones, sniffer dogs, and helicopters.

However, Yadav said the government was “simply busy diverting public attention towards non-issues so that questions were not asked about the state’s dismal track record about job creation, education, and health”.