‘Why is Gujarat becoming epicentre of drug cartels’: Cong slams Modi, Shah

PTI, Apr 30, 2022, 7:55 PM IST

Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah’s silence over the seizure of a huge cache of drugs from Gujarat’s Pipavav port, the Congress on Saturday asked why was their state turning into an ”epicentre of drug cartels”.

In a joint operation, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recovered nearly 90 kg of heroin worth Rs 450 crore from a shipping container that arrived at the Pipavav port from Iran.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate asked what was the government doing and how were drug mafias and cartels ”invading” the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel.

”Questions will rise on why is the youth in this country obliviously being driven towards drug. Questions will arise on the prime minister and the home minister’s conspicuous silence because this is not a new issue,” she said.

”We also urge the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of the matter and through two of its judges delve deep into it so that people acting against India and putting its security and our future at risk are brought to book.” She referred to the seizure of 90 kg of heroin from Gujarat’s Pipavav port. It had come in form of bales from Iran.

”On April 25, a boat was seized at Kutch with heroin worth Rs 280 crore. In September 2021, we had raised the issue of about 3,000 kilograms of heroin worth Rs 21,000 crores seized in Gujarat,” she said.

Shrinate claimed that in June last year, 25,000 kilograms of heroin worth Rs 1,75,000 crore, that could not be seized, entered India.

Alleging that problem was deeply entrenched, the Congress leader sought to know the steps being taken to check it.

She posed five questions to the government.

”Why is the prime minister conspicuously silent on this? Do you believe Mr prime minister that drugs of this quantity can come into India unchecked, without political patronage and what strategy have you built to check that?” ”Why is Gujarat becoming the epicentre for these drug cartels and syndicates? What does the Narcotics Control Bureau, the key agency for the purpose, have to say about this and who is responsible,” she also asked.