Call for 'blood test' to check prohibition disrupts House
PATNA, Feb. 19 -- With the Opposition as well as the ruling dispensation demanding review of prohibition in Bihar and the issue causing uproar as soon as the second sitting began on Wednesday over "blood test poser", Parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary clarified that there was no such proposal for any review and all the members had unanimously backed prohibition.
As soon as the second session began, RJD MLA Alok Mehta got up and said that the statement of a minister (he did not name him) to a TV channel that the reality of prohibition would come to fore if all the members were asked to undergo blood test was "unacceptable and derogatory."
"Such a minister should be removed from the cabinet, as he has cast aspersions on all the members of the House with an unsubstantiated statement. This is condemnable,"said Mehta. He was backed by RJD MLA Kumar Savajeet.
At this, Choudhary said that such a statement, if made, was totally uncalled for and the government would never accept this. "I am not aware of who said it, or when and where, but I certainly know that none of the members of the House could have spoken such a thing. The entire Vidhan Sabha was united in 2016 when chief minister Nitish Kumar introduced the law-they not only unanimously backed it, but also took a pledge to abstain from its consumption and encourage others to do the same. This is part of the official House proceedings," he added.
The issue started outside the Assembly when Congress leader Amit Ranjan told mediapersons that "blood test of all the members would expose the reality of prohibition" in the state and Bihar minister for welfare of scheduled castes and tribes Lakhendra Paswan responded with a poser that it should be first done on leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.
"If anyone knows who is drinking, the members should name the person, not just level wild allegations," Paswan said.
When mediapersons confronted another Bihar minister Ramkripal Yadav outside the assembly with the "blood test poser", he raised his hands and said that he was ready for it.
RJD's Bhai Birendra said that there should be examination of everything, not just liquor. "Even dry intoxicants have infiltrated in a big way and it is high time the government woke up to the challenge," he added.
RJD MLA Subedar Das also said that though problhibition was in force in the state and everyone backed it in the beginning, the ground realities were different, with supplies reaching homes.
The constituents of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have also raised questions over the efficacy of prohibition in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha.
Rashtriya Lok Morcha legislator Madhav Anand on Tuesday said that time has come for a review of prohibition in the state due to the ground realities. "Nitish government has taken many landmark decisions to improve the live of people. Prohibition was one decision that required a lot of courage and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took it, while all supported it. He is also known revoewing his decisions from time to time. Perhaps, time has come for review of prohibition and and efforts to create greater awareness among the people," he added.
Prohibition was enforced in Bihar in April 2016 and now it is set to enter its 10th year. Though the government has tweaked the law many times in the light of demands, it has remained in force, with the government counting its benefits .
Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) patron and Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who has been one of the most vocal critics of the Bihar prohibition policy from within the ruling NDA alliance, has frequently raised the issue as one against the poor....
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