Opinion Hooch tragedy in Bihar: Nitish Kumar needs to learn from his mistakes

Until now, according to official estimates, 38 people have died in Saran district in a tragically commonplace “hooch tragedy” in dry Bihar. The champion of prohibition in the state, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, has not expressed sympathy or concern, only an unbecoming peevishness. On the floor of the House in the state assembly, the CM said that “those who drink liquor will die… the example is in front of us”. To parry Opposition attacks, he engaged in crude whataboutery: He asked the BJP why it does not raise a hue and cry over such deaths in states where it has governments. The fact is that from 2016, when prohibition was imposed in Bihar, to 2021, there have been over 200 hooch-related deaths in the state. Time and again, other state governments have experimented with prohibition. Nitish Kumar, it seems, has not learnt the lessons from their failures — or his own.

Alcohol abuse does indeed have terrible social consequences. It is also undeniable that it is women, including and especially from among the poor and marginalised sections, who often bear the brunt of alcoholism in the family. Yet, in 2016, the Rules of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act sought to punish the families of “offenders”, including with fines, confiscation of property and jail time. In 2018, some of the law’s more draconian provisions were amended. But the fact remains that there is mounting evidence that prohibition is not the solution to alcoholism. Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu — to name just a few states — have experimented with it in the past. In each case, the policy has been withdrawn because it pushes consumption underground, places an undue burden on the law and order machinery, increases criminalisation, and depletes revenues. The ban in Bihar has caused reported losses of up to Rs 5,000 crore to the government, while treating citizens as incapable of making responsible choices.

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There is, perhaps, a political context to Nitish Kumar’s despite-it-all commitment to the ban. In his first two terms, his image for good governance was built from the commendable investment made by his government in enhancing women’s rights and welfare — schemes were introduced providing scholarships and cycles to reduce dropout rates for girls. That he is now expending precious political capital to double down on a failed policy seems to indicate that he is out of governance ideas. Earlier this month, he said the consumption of liquor and hooch was not prescribed in any religion — as though policy must be sourced from scripture. In Bihar, it seems that the people and exchequer must suffer because of the chief minister’s political commitment to a counterproductive measure.