Jan Suraaj Party Pledges to End Bihar Liquor Ban to Generate Revenue for Development Loans

Jan Suraaj Party's national president Udai Singh pictured with Prashant Kishor. (File)

Patna:

On Sunday, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party reaffirmed its commitment to abolish the prohibition on liquor sale and consumption in Bihar if elected to power. This ban was originally implemented by Nitish Kumar's government.

The party stated that the approximately Rs 28,000 crore revenue gain resulting from lifting the ban would be leveraged to secure loans ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 6 lakh crore from international financial institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

While welcoming LJV (RV) leader Kumar Saurav into the party fold, Jan Suraaj Party's national president Udai Singh told reporters, "We have consistently maintained that if Jan Suraaj comes to power in Bihar in the upcoming assembly elections, the liquor prohibition will be immediately revoked. This will allow the state to recover nearly Rs 28,000 crore in lost revenue, which we plan to utilize for securing loans of Rs 5 to Rs 6 lakh crore from the World Bank and IMF."

Singh highlighted Saurav's credentials, noting, "Saurav possesses extensive expertise in finance and law, having served as country head of securitization at a private bank in India. We intend to leverage his expertise in securing loans of Rs 5 to Rs 6 lakh crore from international financial institutions using the state revenue that will be recovered after lifting the liquor prohibition in Bihar." Former poll strategist-turned-politician Kishor has previously pledged to abolish the liquor ban within an hour if his Jan Suraaj party forms the next state government.

The prohibition on alcohol sales and consumption was enacted by Nitish Kumar's government in April 2016.

Upon joining Jan Suraaj Party, Saurav clarified to reporters, "My departure from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) was not due to any disagreements with party chief Chirag Paswan. I joined Jan Suraaj to collaborate with Prashant Kishor ji, who has been working relentlessly for Bihar's development and the welfare of its citizens."