Blame-game between BJP, Stalin's DMK over drug menace in Tamil Nadu

The BJP has slammed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Satlin's DMK party, claiming that the party leaders were involved in the massive international drug cartel busted recently by the Delhi Police and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

Blame-game between BJP, Stalin's DMK over drug menace in Tamil Nadu

During his recent visit to Chennai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that drugs had penetrated deeply into Tamil Nadu and said he worried about the future of youngsters in the state.

The development came after Jaffar Sadiq, the DMK NRI wing’s Chennai West Deputy Organiser, also associated with the Tamil film industry, was identified during investigations in connection with the case.

Later, it was revealed Sadiq also allegedly had links with a gang.

As the investigations progressed, Sadiq's pictures with several top leaders of the DMK were shared by the BJP, following which the party expelled Sadiq.

Further, the recent drug seizures by agencies like the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Coast Guard—36 kg of drugs worth Rs 180 crore on March 1 and 99 kg of drugs worth Rs 108 crore on March 5—have given more fuel to the BJP’s criticism.

Meanwhile, responding to the BJP's allegations, on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government, Law Minister S Reghupathy held a press briefing in Nagercoil on Tuesday, claiming that the BJP shouldn’t single out just Tamil Nadu for the growing drug menace across the country.

“Blaming others for the drug menace is what we call the Modi formula. Drugs are being seized across the country in several states. But they are blaming only Tamil Nadu as elections are nearing. People of the state won’t be fooled,” he said.

In addition to pointing out how huge quantities of drugs have been seized off the Gujarat coast in the recent past, Reghupathy also highlighted that 16 BJP functionaries have also been booked under anti-drug laws in Tamil Nadu.

"Mr Narendra Modi's Gujarat coast and the 'Divine Dwarka' have become a haven for smuggling of drugs worth thousands of crores of rupees into the country. Mr Modi is accusing the 'land of peace' with a stable government. The Union government's Narcotics Control Bureau, which should weed-out drug smuggling, is unable to do it," S Reghupathy alleged.

He further claimed that the DMK government under Chief Minister Stalin has been making efforts to crack down on the sale and distribution of drugs.

To expand on this, the minister gave statistics of the quantities of drugs seized since the time DMK came to power and also claimed that they had over an 80 per cent conviction ratio in drug-related cases.