Patna: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday said that if the Grand Alliance forms the government in Bihar, it will review the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, calling for a more balanced and just approach to the state’s liquor policy.
Speaking at an election rally, Tejashwi Yadav said:
“Traditional occupations based on toddy and mahua will be taken out of the purview of the prohibition law. Poor and Dalit people imprisoned under this law will be granted immediate relief.”
Tejashwi Yadav argued that communities engaged in toddy collection for generations often have no agricultural land or alternative livelihood, and that continuing the ban was “unjust and unsustainable.”
The total liquor ban, implemented by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in April 2016, was introduced as a measure for women’s safety and social reform. However, it has since drawn criticism for spawning illegal liquor networks and leading to the arrest of thousands of marginalised individuals.
According to multiple reports, a large number of Dalit, Mahadalit and backward community members remain imprisoned under the law. Against this backdrop, Yadav’s statement is being seen as both a political and social message, aimed at communities disproportionately affected by prohibition.
Left parties have also backed calls for reform. Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary of the CPI (ML) Liberation, had earlier described the law as “hypocritical” and said the INDIA bloc government would conduct a serious review of it if elected.
