The Big Fight: Is Prohibition 'Prohibitive'?
Prohibition of alcohol is back on the political agenda with the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu going ahead with phase-wise prohibition by shutting 500 shops. In April, Bihar had implemented complete prohibition - an electoral promise which the winning JD(U)-RJD coalition said was vital in getting support of female voters. In India, there has been an intermittent ban on production, sale and consumption of liquor in some states but they have rarely been successful. It only drove the business underground with bootleggers making hay backed by the mafia. The pro-prohibition lobby have often argued that too much of alcohol consumption leads to an increase led in domestic violence, impoverishment, particularly for those living on the fringes. But is there any factual relation between an increase in domestic violence and alcoholism? Will the ban result in a thriving bootlegging industry? Is the government overstepping on individual platform?
