Patna: Prashant Kishore’s political organization, the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), has made a dramatic promise to lift the state’s stringent alcohol prohibition policy if it comes to power, linking the revenue recovery to an ambitious plan for securing international development funding.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, JSP National President Uday Singh asserted that lifting the ban would save the state approximately Rs 28,000 crore in lost revenue annually, a sum the party plans to use to leverage massive capital for infrastructure and development.
“We have been consistent in saying that if the government changes in Bihar in the future and the Jan Suraaj Party comes to power, prohibition in the state will be lifted immediately,” Singh stated. He elaborated that the saved revenue would be instrumental in obtaining loans totaling Rs 5 to Rs 6 lakh crore from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to accelerate Bihar’s growth.
Leveraging Financial Expertise
Singh highlighted that the party’s strategy is backed by internal financial expertise, specifically mentioning a party member named Saurav, who is reportedly “well versed in finance and law” and has a background as a country head of securitization at a private bank.
“We will use his expertise to obtain loans of Rs 5 to Rs 6 lakh crore from the World Bank and IMF from the state’s revenue, which will be saved after the lifting of prohibition in Bihar,” Singh added, positioning the move not just as a policy change but a core economic development strategy.
In preparation for the ensuing state assembly elections, the Jan Suraaj Party has also released its initial list of 51 candidates. The party indicated that a second list of candidates will be announced soon as the campaign continues to take shape under the guidance of political strategist Prashant Kishore.
