The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday demanded an explanation from Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin on former Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) office-bearer Jaffer Sadiq’s alleged involvement in a drug smuggling case and sought a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the matter.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, BJP Mahila Morcha president Vanathi Srinivasan said, “Several reports say that Jaffer Sadiq who has been arrested by The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has invested his money (earned through the drug trafficking network) in the hospitality sector, film production, and political donations to the ruling party of Tamil Nadu (not only one party).”
She alleged that the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu has had a close connection with the film industry for a long time and Jaffer Sadiq had become close to the DMK leadership and even obtained an award from the director general of police (DGP).
The Narcotics Control Bureau on Saturday arrested movie producer Jaffer Sadiq, formerly deputy head of the DMK’s NRI wing in Chennai district, in connection with the ₹2,000 crore drug trafficking racket busted last month. The central anti-drugs agency has termed Sadiq the “mastermind and kingpin” of an illicit network spread across India, Australia and New Zealand.
Vanathi said, “It seems that his (Sadiq) family members are closely associated with many other political parties who are having an alliance with the present ruling party.”
{{/usCountry}}Vanathi said, “It seems that his (Sadiq) family members are closely associated with many other political parties who are having an alliance with the present ruling party.”
{{/usCountry}}She also referred to a Tamil film, Mangai, which was directed by the daughter-in-law of Stalin, and accused that the film was ‘entirely funded’ by Jaffer Sadiq. She said that after news of his alleged involvement in the drug racket came to light, Sadiq was expelled from the DMK.
BJP spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said that Stalin and company have reduced the government (DMK) to a drug marketing kazhagam and demanded that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) should probe the Jaffer Sadiq case.
He also asked a question to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi- “Is drug carter acceptable to you? Is Tamil Nadu a drug corridor?”
Referring to the scams in the opposition ruled state, Chhattisgarh (Mahadev betting scam), Jharkhand ( (Hemant Soren land Scam and illegal mining scam), Delhi (liquor scam), and ₹1,000 core unaccounted cash sales in Bengaluru, Vadakkan asked, “Why are most of the crimes are in your (opposition’s) constituencies?”
“The chief minister (Stalin) is liable to answer as this is not about a political party, but it’s about our national interest,” he added.
“The only people who can address this issue are Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the home minister Amit Shah. Give them another chance and you’ll see these drug peddlers in jail,” Vadakkan said.
There was no immediate response from the DMK.