Excise bill passed in Bihar Legislative Council

A day after it was passed by the Assembly, the Bihar Excise and Prohibition Bill was today ratified by the Legislative Council with voice vote amidst opposition boycott, as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tried to allay fears of the opposition on its 'stringent' provisions.
With both the Houses of Bihar Legislature giving green signal to the new Excise law, it will now go to the Governor for his approval. After Governor's approval it would become the new Liquor law replacing the existing one.
The over three-hour long debate on the bill with additional clauses aimed at implementing the liquor ban more stringently was acrimonious in the Upper House between the opposition and the Treasury benches.

While senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi led the attack on the Grand Secular Alliance government over the new liquor bill, the CM himself took the charge from ruling side and sought to allay apprehensions expressed while defending stringent provisions added in the Excise Act passed earlier this year during budget session.
The NDA members, who had unsuccessfully moved more than a dozen amendments to the Bihar Excise and Prohibition Bill, 2016 staged a walkout from the House over government not accepting their amendments.
The NDA members had similarly boycotted government's reply yesterday in the Assembly to protest some stringent provisions in the Bill.

Intervening in the debate, Nitish Kumar defended the new Liquor law in a bid to dismiss opposition sharp criticism describing it as 'Talibani', 'draconian' and 'undemocratic'.

Replying to BJP's concern that all adult members of a family would go to jail if a liquor bottle is found from the house, Kumar categorically stated that its a wrong interpretation of the provision.
The family has been clearly defined in the Act as per which family consists of a husband, wife and their dependent children and not the grandfather or grandmother or maternal grandfather or grandmother, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, etc, he said.

"If a liquor bottle is seized from a house and nobody claims it, in that condition all the adult members present in the house would be put behind bars for hiding the truth as who brought the alcohol into the house," he said.
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Replying to Sushil Kumar Modi's reference of usage of wine for sacramental in Christianity, Kumar said "You (BJP) want to make it (country) a Hindu-Rashtra and you are giving example of Christianity."
He said prohibition in Bihar would be implemented with the stricter law and with the cooperation of people.
On Modi's suggestion to cancel licenses of distilleries operating in Bihar, the CM said new licenses will not be issued and those operating at present in the state will automatically go out of the state because of environment and other provisions of the new law.

Asking RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to make his stand clear on prohibition, Kumar said BJP leaders are giving contradictory opinions with regard to the new law.
On one hand they say they are in support of the ban, and on the other hand, instead of voting in favour of the Bill, they boycotted it, Kumar said.
Kumar also tried to rebut Modi's claims that crime rate has gone up in May in comparison to April, the month when prohibition was implemented.
On Modi's query as to why the state government was not brining a stringent legislation against cow slaughter which is a part of the Directive Principles of state policy, the CM said law already exists against it in the state.

Kumar also made it clear that there is no ban on toddy till the a complete mechanism would be put in place for processing of 'Nira', an unfermented drink made out of toddy juice. He said this is expected to be completed by next 'Baisakh' season.
The 1991 guideline on toddy would continue to be in operation in the state till then, the Chief Minister said.
The 1991 guideline prohibits sale of toddy within 50 meters of educational institutions, temples, hospitals, etc.
"You stop bothering about the welfare of those people (Pasis) who have been dependent on toddy business for livelihood. We are here to care for them," Kumar said.

The state government has signed an MoU for processing and marketing of various products, including eatables and fancy materials out of various produces of palm trees in Bihar, he said.
With better harnessing of toddy produces, the lives of those depending on the age-old dependence on production and marketing of the toddy juice will change for good with the marketing of other produces like jam, sweetmeat, jaggery out of its juice and broom, mat and fancy items from branches and leaves will fetch good money for them, he said.