In Rewa village, on the banks of the Budi Gandak river in Muzaffarpur, 35-year-old Lalan Sahani and his friends sit outside his house, discussing how Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s lockdown policy has “created chaos” across Bihar.
“Nitish Kumar has done a good job during his tenure. This (prohibition) is the only mistake he has made. Liquor is still available, but more expensive. And those who drink end up in jail. It’s fine,” says Sahani, as his friends nod in agreement.
Asha Devi, 50, listens from behind the door outside the house. “All you guys want is to drink and get lost. You’re going to get beat up now – get lost!” She scolds. “Nitish Kumar did the right thing. Men come home drunk and shout ‘khana di’. After drinking, my husband talks about buying a buffalo; by morning, he can’t afford a goat.”
In Hosingang in Siwan, YouTuber Mona Mutalbi faces a similar rebuke from his wife when he suggests the ban should be lifted.
Across Bihar, the ban appears to have sharply divided opinion along gender lines. While men from across social classes want the ban on alcoholic beverages to be lifted, women overwhelmingly support it. This divide – along with a slew of welfare programs meant for women – appears to have become one of the key factors defining Nitish Kumar’s campaign in these Bihar elections.
Bihar’s lockdown policy, which has been in place since 2016, remains among the most polarizing issues in the state. (Quick image by Deeptiman Tiwary)
Near the village well in Rewa, four women discuss this very issue. “What Nitish ji did is good, but the ban should be comprehensive. Even liquor that is illegal in the country should not be available,” says Pushpa Devi. Sunita Devi nods: “It’s still better than before. The men before would get drunk, roam the roads and die in accidents. Their families would suffer for life.”
Bihar’s lockdown policy, which has been in place since 2016, remains among the most polarizing issues in the state.
Socially, it has brought about visible changes in many rural families – reducing domestic violence, improving family finances, and winning Nitish the goodwill of women who credit him with restoring ‘ghar ki shanti’.
But politically, the ban has become a double-edged sword: women support it, but rampant smuggling and police abuse have eroded its moral appeal. Economically, the state has lost thousands of crores in indirect production revenue and witnessed a thriving parallel black market.
This issue also divided the political scene. While the JD(U) defends the ban as a moral reform, parties like the Communist Party of India (ML)L and Prashant Kishore’s Jan Suraj party have announced that they will lift the ban if voted to power.
In Basudeva village in Gopalganj’s Puri district, Shivshankar and Mukesh Chauhan, both from the Nonya ABC caste, echo the discontent expressed by a large section of men.
This issue also divided the political scene. (Quick image by Deeptiman Tiwary)
“Everything else Nitish did was good – roads, electricity, all that. Prohibition is the only problem. Prisons are full of poor people. If you want to control drinking, give permits so people can buy legally,” says Shivshankar.
But in the same village, Sumitra Devi and Pooja Devi see the alcohol ban as a blessing. “Those who drink can still find liquor. However, this is the best decision taken by Nitish. Domestic quarrels have decreased, and the younger generation is not getting used to this habit. If there were shops in the village, who would stop them? At least now there is fear of the law,” they say.
At the Tola Masahir at the poorhouse in West Champaran, Chattu Ram’s response was laced with sarcasm. When asked about the benefits he received from the government, he replied: “Many. The biggest one is that liquor which used to be sold for Rs 25 now costs Rs 200. This is development.” Then he added, gravely: “We need our drink – but we don’t want to go to prison for it. Any government that comes next should fix this.”
In the same village, Kalita Devi has other concerns. She is yet to receive the Rs 10,000 relief provided under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana (MMRY) just before the polls are declared. “I don’t drink, so the ban doesn’t matter to me,” she says. “Those who do so die in terrible tragedies.”
This is exactly what bothers Gulu Kumar, a shop owner in Anand in Siwan. “It is easy for Nitish Kumar to say that those who drink will die, but the government must take responsibility for drug deaths. People are paying more now, and the only ones who benefit are the smugglers and the police,” he says.
As Bihar votes, the ban remains one of the most emotionally charged issues in the state, dividing not only parties and castes but also families.
(tags for translation) Politics of Bihar Prohibition
