Jitan Ram Manjhi urges Bihar to adopt Gujarat's liquor ban model

Jitan Ram Manjhi, patron of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and Union Minister, has called on Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary to revise the state's prohibition policy by adopting a model similar to Gujarat.

Speaking at a national executive meeting of the HAM youth wing in Patna, Manjhi argued that while the intent of the liquor ban is positive, its implementation has faced significant issues. He cited irregularities at the police and administrative levels and suggested that the current system leads to the misuse of law, often disproportionately affecting the poor and vulnerable while influential individuals evade consequences.

Manjhi proposed a system where alcohol consumption is managed through permits and specific regulations, similar to the Gujarat model, to curb the illicit liquor trade. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary has previously maintained that the state's total prohibition policy will remain in place without concessions.

A research report by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has added economic weight to the debate. The study questioned whether the policy has achieved its social objectives and noted that lifting the ban could potentially increase Bihar's internal revenue by approximately 14 to 15 percent, while reducing government expenditure on enforcement and combating illegal trade.