Patna: JDU national president and chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday claimed that prohibition in Bihar was the biggest example of practising secularism while addressing a workers' conference in Talkatora stadium in New Delhi.
Nitish urged the Congress and the Left parties to ban liquor in states they govern.
"In all religions, be it Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism, consumption of liquor is considered bad. It needs a lot of courage to implement prohibition and I want to ask the Congress and the Left who talk a lot about secularism - why don't they ban liquor in the states they govern? Why don't they do campaign against liquor?" Nitish said.
Nitish was accompanied by senior Dal leaders Sanjay Jha, RCP Singh, K.C. Tyagi and Dehli state unit president Narsingh Shah. The workers' conference was organised to expand the party base in Delhi as well in other states where the JDU has its presence.
He did not stop here and demanded nationwide ban on liquor claiming that if Gujarat and Bihar can implement prohibition, why cannot it be implemented across the country.
Nitish said the ban on liquor in the entire country would be the biggest sign of communal harmony and respect to all religions. "Gujarat has banned liquor and Bihar has done the same. Then, why cannot it be banned nationwide? It has brought a great change in society and one can feel it in Bihar. Visit the villages and see how peace and harmony prevail now," Nitish said.
The Bihar government had imposed total ban on liquor in April, 2016. Nitish recalled that how he took the pledge to ban liquor when women made the demand. Nitish took a dig at rebel JDU leader Sharad Yadav without naming him. He said he did not do enough to expand the party. "The situation before me in the party was mysterious and he never paid attention to it. But when I was given the JDU president's responsibility, I realised we had a big votebank in Delhi. I still remember that in 2013, we had organised a big rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi in March to demand the special category status for Bihar," Nitish said.
He went on the say that if Biharis working in Delhi stop their work, the whole city will come to a standstill. Nitish said the Constitution of India had given the right to people that anybody can go anywhere in the country to earn their livelihood and the same was applicable to Biharis as well.
Nitish raised the issue of 1,642 unauthorised colonies in Delhi and said villages in Bihar are much better than some areas in Delhi, which are in deplorable condition. The Delhi JDU women's wing raised slogans of " Dilli kee mahilaon ka naara hai JDU vikalp hamara hai. (JDU is the alternative for the women of Delhi)"
