Why Union Minister Paswan Led Protest In Patna Against Nitish Kumar

Patna: On a day when Parliament began after a lengthy break, union minister Ram Vilas Paswan was in Patna, holding a demonstration against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.   

Mr Paswan is a veteran member of Parliament from Hajpur in North Bihar. He says he's fighting for the rights of hundreds of makers and sellers of toddy or home-made liquor who are being forced out of business by the new ban on alcohol in the state.

Earlier this month, the Chief Minister abandoned a plan to phase out alcohol, opting for an aggressive all-or-nothing option. Mr Kumar says that women across Bihar are delighted with his making good on a campaign promise.

Toddy, made from the sap of palm trees, is exempt from the prohibition policy, but policemen are following with new vigor earlier restrictions on where and how it can be offered, which, sellers say, is hurting business.
 
"The cops tell us we should sell 100 metres away from the road. Now you tell me who will come and buy from us 100 metres away. The road is full of hustle and bustle , this is where our business is," said Dharmendra Chaudhary, 33, in Nawada, a three-hour drive from Mr Paswan's protest in Patna.

Toddy sellers in Bihar are mostly Pasis, a Mahadalit community traditionally loyal to the Chief Minister that Mr Paswan is trying to win over.

"I am giving a one-month ultimatum to Nitish Kumar to stop harassing the toddy sellers, else we will agitate in each and every district", said Mr Paswan today.

At a recent event, the Chief Minister took a preemptive strike against that sort of criticism. "There are politicians in this state who want toddy sellers  to remain doing just that for generations. Why can't the daughter or son of a toddy seller aspire to be an engineer, a doctor? We haven't banned the sale of toddy, but let critics look at the social backwardness of those who sell toddy and advise if this should be the way they live in the years to come," he proclaimed.