Bihar liquor ad triggers a row

Patna: The liquor ban issue took an interesting turn on Thursday, after an advertisement by Bihar State Beverage Corporation Limited (BSBCL) surfaced asking people to lease out space for godowns and shops for sale of liquor.

The advertisement also mentioned that “as per new excise policy, the BSBCL intends to take over all operations of sale of foreign liquor in the state and for it the corporation needs shops on lease and rent.”

Besides the advertisement, the excise commissioner has also issued directives for the officials of his department regarding the new tender for sale of foreign liquor in the state.

Though the state government is yet to release an official statement on the issue, the development has instigated a political war. The BJP, while referring to the excise commissioner’s directives and advertisements by BSBCB, raised questions on the intention of the state government, terming chief minister Nitish Kumar’s November announcement on liquor ban an “eyewash” and accused the government for taking “a complete U-turn” on the issue.

“On one hand, the state government promises to impose a complete ban on the sale, manufacturing and distribution of liquor and sometimes they talk of only banning country made liquor in the state and amid all this BSBCB is trying find a way to grab the opportunity to get involved in the sale of foreign liquor directly,” former deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said in Patna on Thursday.