On March 21, a group of women at Murliganj in Madhepura district of Bihar seized several litres of desi (country-made) liquor and handed it over to the police. They even lodged a complaint to the police demanding arrests.
“We’re fed up with the people selling desi daru [liquor] to our husbands and children. They are ruining our homes and peace in society. So, we seized their liquor pouches and handed them over to the police”, Poonam Devi, Reena Devi and other women said in chorus to journalists.
Experts in the State believe that through prohibition, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar “wants to nurture a caste- neutral vote bank of women to remain in power”. “Since women are supposed to be the worst sufferers in the families of those who drink liquor, Mr. Kumar has repeatedly been saying he banned liquor after women urged him to do so. In fact, he has been meticulously trying to create a caste-neutral women vote bank through prohibition”, political analyst Ajay Kumar told The Hindu.
