‘Ek ghante mein hata denge’: Prashant Kishor on Bihar liquor ban
Prashant Kishor said those who claim liquor prohibition in Bihar is beneficial
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has said that if his party, Jan Suraaj, is elected to power in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections later this year, the state's liquor ban will be lifted within an hour.
“Ek ghante mein hata denge. (The liquor ban will be lifted within an hour once we come to power.) There is no real liquor ban in Bihar. There is a law in place that has shut down liquor shops and started home delivery,” Kishor said in an interview with Live Hindustan.
"This law needs to be removed because Bihar is losing 15 to 20 thousand crore rupees every year due to it. And this money is going to the liquor mafia,” he added.
He also said that those who claim liquor prohibition in Bihar is beneficial, particularly in empowering women and reducing violence, should be questioned, especially members of the BJP and Congress, on why such a ban has not been implemented nationwide.
“If prohibition is truly so great, why limit this ‘sweet’ only to the people of Bihar? Why deprive the rest of the country of it?” asked the Jan Suraaj chief.
On contesting seats, Prashant Kishor said his party will field candidates in 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar and will not enter into an alliance with the Congress.
He further remarked that the Congress is in discussions with the RJD, and the people of Bihar have already witnessed the era of ‘Jungle Raj’ or lawlessness under Lalu Prasad Yadav’s leadership.
Kishor praises Paswan’s stance on caste
He said that he likes Chirag Paswan because he does not engage in caste-based politics, but added that he is opposed to him because of his alliance with the BJP.
“Chirag Paswan’s father made many sacrifices for secular politics. He once said he wouldn’t become chief minister and that a Muslim should take the post. Today, Chirag Paswan is with the BJP and that’s his decision. At the very least, he isn’t doing caste-based politics. He talks about the need for progress in Bihar and says the current situation must change,” said Kishor.
