Nitish Kumar accepts invite for Jharkhand anti-liquor event

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar is all set to push liquor prohibition in other states. He is planning to visit two neighbouring states — Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh — at the invitation of women’s organisations campaigning against consumption of liquor.

Mr Kumar on Wednesday accepted an invitation from a Jharkhand-based women’s organisation, Nari Sangharsh Morcha, requesting him to attend a programme being organised in Dhanbad on May 10. Officials said that the CM, after accepting the invitation, has assured them all support. After imposing a blanket ban on liquor in Bihar on April 5, Mr Kumar had said he would support prohibition in other states. “I don’t see why a ban cannot be imposed in other states like it was done in Bihar,” Mr Kumar had said in Bhagalpur on Tuesday.

Mr Kumar, who is said to be have a strong support base among women voters in Bihar, has been getting invitations from various women’s organisations engaged in anti-liquor campaigns in states like UP, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. On Tuesday the state government had presented official data showing a sharp fall in the crime graph after the ban on liquor was imposed.

According to officials here, “the crime graph has gone down 27 per cent”. JD(U) leaders on Wednesday said, “Voices are being raised in other states after Bihar brought tough laws to deal with liquor.”

Mr Kumar, who had earlier said that the ban was imposed after a “detailed study”, had slammed neighbouring state governments for not supporting the ban in Bihar and opening fresh liquor outlets on the borders.

Meanwhile there are reports that three persons have died after consuming spurious liquor in Patna. According to sources the incident occurred on Tuesday and the police has picked up two persons for questioning.

In another incident, seven persons were arrested from a hotel room while consuming liquor. According to the police, most of them were businessmen from other states and had gathered in Patna to attend the wedding ceremony of a common friend. All seven were arrested while consuming whisky and may face imprisonment up to five to seven years. The police said they raided their hotel room after being tipped off about their illegal liquor party.