PATNA, April 30 -- Prohibition, caste, and land survey, which the Bihar government takes pride in showcasing as big social initiatives, seem to be emerging as the main ammunition for the Opposition parties to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections later this year. While the statement of RJD spearhead Tejashwi Prasad Yadav that, if voted to power, his government would not only legalise toddy by bringing it out of the prohibition law but also withdraw thousands of cases against toddy brewers and sellers, has evoked sharp reaction from NDA. Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has announced to undertake a Yatra from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's native village, Kalyanbigha in Nalanda, to launch a signature campaign to verify whether the Rs.2 lakh promised to 94 poor families identified in the caste survey has actually been delivered. Tejashwi's announcement to legalise toddy is significant, as it has found favours with the NDA constituents like LPJ-R president Chirag Paswan and HAM-S patron Jitan Ram Manjhi, both of whom are ministers in the Narendra Modi cabinet and have been speaking for a larger share in the seat sharing formula. In the past, Manjhi had advocated that toddy, which he called 'natural justice', be brought out of the prohibition purview. Prohibition has been the government's showcase as its big social reform initiative implemented at the call of women, but it has also been its achilles' heel. The government has tweaked the prohibition and excise law several times, but has failed to find an answer to continued smuggling and manufacturing of illicit liquor and after every hooch tragedy it is cornered by the Opposition. While the NDA leaders have attacked Tejashwi for backing out on prohibition despite it being a unanimous decision of the Bihar Legislative, the Opposition has started questioning its efficacy. "By promoting toddy, Tejashwi is backing out on prohibition," said BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal. But that is not the only issue that the Oppsoition is trying to play up. Prashant Kishor has time and again predicted "doom for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar due to prohibition, land survey and smart meters'. "Land survey will hurt Nitish Kumar the most, as it would never be completed. It has become a tool of corruption and it will trigger fight in every family," he said. On the other hand, caste survey and subsequent reservation hike in Bihar to 65%, which was quashed by the Patna High Court, is another issue the Opposition is playing up. While Tejashwi is targeting the government for failing to put in the law in the ninth schedule and citing 16% loss to the backward classes, extremely backward classes and Scheduled Caste in ongoing recruitment, Kishor has announced his signature campaign against the government's inability to give Rs.2 lakh to the poor families and three decimal land to the landless for house, as earlier announced. "Jan Suraj Party will launch a signature campaign from May 11 across the state and submit one-crore signatures to the Chief Minister and the Governor. We will reach out to people in villages across the state to expose the government lies," he told media persons. Former professor at the Tata Institute of Social Studies (TISS) Pushpendra said that in the election, political parties playing up issues that touch the people's sentiments was common. "Be it caste survey, land survey or prohibition, they directly affect the masses whichever way one looks at it. Time will tell how much they are able to make an impact. Hitherto, the government used them as its success stories and at some point of time, those in the Opposition also backed it. Now, things are changing and it will only gather momentum as election approaches," he added....