Taking objection to Maharashtra circumventing SC directive, the Bihar CM said his state didn't lose any revenue after prohibition
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday raised the pitch for total prohibition, seeking imposition of a pan-India ban on the sale of liquor. He also appealed for total prohibition on all addictive substances in the country, and cited the example of China which grew after imposing curbs on sale and possession of opium.
Addressing a rally in Mumbai to mark the foray of Janata Dal-United (JD-U) in Maharashtra politics, Kumar, in a veiled attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, said, "Some governments are denotifying the state and national highways to circumvent the Supreme Court order (pertaining to closure of liquor shops) and support the liquor sale. This is a dangerous trend."
Kumar said that Mahatma Gandhi, Ram Manohar Lohia and Dr Ambedkar supported liquor ban so as all religions. "But instead of reforming the society, a negative narrative is being propagated," he said.
Kumar claimed that Bihar's revenue didn't drop after prohibition as consumption of goods has gone up. "Even number of domestic tourists has gone up by 60 per cent and foreign tourists by nine per cent. So, the argument cited by some governments that liquor ban would affect tourism doesn't hold ground."
Earlier, speaking at a programme organised by Maithili community, Kumar asserted that a citizen of Bihar is never a burden on anyone.
In a veiled attack on Shiv Sena and MNS, which have grown fanning anti-immigrant sentiments and accusing people of Bihar-UP of grabbing opportunities of 'bhumiputras', Kumar said, "Biharis are entrepreneurs. They create jobs for hundreds of people. Biharis are settled across India which is a proof that people can't do without Biharis."
Stating that Bihar is on fast track of development with "inclusive approach", Kumar urged Biharis living in Maharashtra to think about their home town and invest in education to take the state's growth story forward. "Currently, educational institutions of other states have large number of Bihari students. Once we have enough institutions, the youngsters won't migrate," he said.
Taking an apparent dig at the BJP for their 'development' plank, Kumar said, "Bihar is changing fast but we never publicise it. It's the people who visit the state talk about its growth. Their mouth publicity spreads the word."
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 "Nitish Kumar")
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