Sawant could have learnt from AAP Govt in Punjab how to fight drugs menace : AAP

Goa Khabar : Staging a frontal attack on the Bhartiya Janata Party over the issue of drug trade, the Aam Aadmi Party said that the shocking statements by BJP’s own leaders proves that the ruling party is hand-in-glove with the drugs mafia.

Referring to the recent statements made by Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, Pernem MLA Pravin Arlekar, and former BJP Minister Babu Ajgaonkar, state president Adv. Amit Palekar said this proves that drug trade is going on with full knowledge and involvement of the BJP.

“Lobo recently had a meeting in Delhi with Amit Shah and Pramod Sawant. Why didn’t he raise this critical issue in such a high-level meeting with both the Union Home Minister and the state Home Minister? Doesn’t this show that drugs is business-as-usual for BJP?“, Palekar alleged.

Palekar also came down heavily on the two Pernem leaders who have exchanged barbs on the same issue.

“The way Arlekar and Ajgaonkar have accused each other, it appears as if they are in a turf war over the drug trade which is proliferating in the area. People of Pernem taluka are shell-shocked to see the brazen casualness of the two so-called leaders on such a sensitive and critical issue which is destroying the youth of Pernem”, Palekar claimed.

Palekar demanded that central agencies such as NCB and CBI should take up this case suo-moto and investigate all three leaders over their obvious deep knowledge of the drug trade.

“If there is no investigation by the state agencies, we will file a complaint with the appropriate agencies and even to go to court if required”, Palekar threatened.

Vice-President Sandesh Teleikar-Dessai said that the BJP, which speaks of protecting Bhartiya sanskriti, is the main perpetrator of all such vices which destroy our culture and our youth.

“There was a recent news that the drugs haul this year has been the highest ever in the history of Goa, but what happens to the drugs and the dealers? What consequences do they face? I recall a controversial case in which an entire Ketamine factory was found operating in an industrial plot owned by BJP’s own north goa district leader. What happened to that case?”, Teleikar demanded to know.

Teleikar also mentioned the case of famous drug lord Atala, who had even obtained an Aadhaar card. Teleikar said that the BJP Govt, by providing the Aadhar files to the court in sealed envelopes, was obviously protecting the identity of their own officials involved, and not the privacy of Atala who didn’t qualify for Aadhar in the first place.

“Today there is only one Govt in the entire country that is seriously fighting the drug trade by announcing a formal War on Drugs. The AAP Govt of Punjab has set up a special Cabinet sub-committee to oversee this war on drugs. Numerous resources have been assigned to this effort, including specialised equipment and personnel to bust the drug trade at the highest levels where the the drug mafia uses advanced technologies such as dark web for communication and crypto currency for payments”, Teleikar claimed.

Palekar concluded by saying that Sawant could have easily collaborated with the Punjab Govt to similarly rein in the scourge of drugs in Goa, but it is obvious that the BJP itself is hand-in-glove in the entire affair.