Congress: Why is Gujarat the gateway for narcotics?

Directorate of Revenue Intelligence officials seize a consignment of 52kg cocaine at Mundra port

Narendra Modi.: File Photo

TT Special Correspondent   |   New Delhi   |   28.05.22  :  The Congress on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah how Gujarat had become the gateway for narcotics under their nose, a day after yet another drug seizure in the state.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said: “The BJP is in power in Gujarat for 28 years and at the Centre for eight years. From 2017, we are witnessing massive seizures of drugs from Gujarat ports. A drugs business cannot be run without links with international cartels and political patronage. Who is the kingpin in India? How come Gujarat has become the gateway of drugs?”

A consignment of 52kg cocaine, believed to be worth Rs 500 crore, was seized at Mundra port by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on Thursday.

The Congress had questioned the silence of the Prime Minister and the Union home minister on drug seizures earlier too.

Khera said on Friday: “The Prime Minister talks about everything. Why are he and the home minister silent on this issue? The government said in Parliament in October 2021 after the seizure of a huge consignment that the National Investigation Agency had been asked to probe it. What are the findings? We want to know what the NIA has investigated so far, how many people have been questioned, how many have been arrested.”

Amit Saha: File photo

Talking about Thursday’s seizure from Mundra port, Khera said: “The Adani Group (which owns the port) had said after a massive seizure some months ago that cargo from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan will not be accepted any more. How come the consignment from Iran reached the Mundra port yesterday? When was the ban lifted?”

The Congress gave details of big drug hauls in Gujarat over the past few years and wondered how a massive consignment worth Rs 1.75 lakh crore was transported across the country without any obstacle last year.

Arguing that drug cartels were playing with the future of the younger generation, Khera said the menace should be tackled firmly. He said the concerns were not driven by partisan considerations.

He accused the Modi government of misusing the central agencies to harass political opponents and critics instead of allowing them to do their assigned jobs.

The Congress spokesperson said: “Whether it is the CBI, NIA, ED or the NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau), the government is using them in their retail politics. What is the reason drug cartels are flourishing in the country? The NCB is falsely targeting film stars and their families.”

He was referring to actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, who was exonerated on Friday by the NCB, which said the 23-year-old was not found in possession of narcotics.