When governments impose a ban on liquor in their respective States, more often than not it isn’t because of any genuine concern for the welfare of citizens but electoral compulsions specifically targeting women voters.
And usually, these bans are removed after a certain period of time as the State can no longer afford the loss of revenue.
But one politician in Bihar, Prashant Kishore has promised to lift the ban on sale of alcohol in Bihar within one hour of forming the government.
“Bihar is losing Rs 28000 crore in revenue because of this ban. Once the ban is lifted, this surplus revenue will help generate loans of Rs 5 to 6 lakh crore from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund which can be used for the development of Bihar,” said Kishore.
That’s a very good idea but the possibility of Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party coming to power on its electoral debut seem slim. Besides, how will women voters respond to this policy?
For the record, a ban on sale and consumption of alcohol in Bihar was imposed by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016.
This fetched Nitish Kumar immense goodwill in a State where women turn up in large numbers to vote.
