New Delhi [India], December 4 : Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sudhanshu Trivedi hit back at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal over the issue of drug abuse, and said that drugs worth Rs 28,000 crore have been seized during the tenure of the BJP government as against only Rs 768 crore seized during the rule of Congress-led UPA, its partner in INDIA bloc.
Terming Kejriwal's statement in the Delhi Assembly over drug abuse as 'diversion', he attacked AAP over the attack on Shiromani Akal Dal leader Sukhbir Badal, caling it another example of "collapse of law and order situation" in Punjab, the other state ruled by AAP.
"Kejriwal has probably tried to divert attention from these serious and grave allegations being levelled against his party by making baseless and unfounded allegations in his usual style. Today, the attack on former Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal in the holy Golden Temple in Punjab is presenting a new example of the collapse of law and order under the rule of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab and the entire country is shocked by this incident," he told ANI.
He said that Arvind Kejriwal is diverting attention and is talking about drugs.
"But probably to divert attention from that, Kejriwal is talking about drugs. I want to tell him clearly that this is true that in the last 10 years, during the rule of our government, drugs worth Rs 28,000 crores have been seized," he said.
The BJP MP further said, "During the 10-year rule of your ally and partner in the INDI alliance, the Congress party, when the drug trade was spread from Mumbai to Punjab, only drugs worth Rs 768 crores were seized. Is this not an issue for the country to understand? We have been so vigilant and cautious that not only at the ports but also by going a hundred kilometres inside the deep sea, thousands of kilos of drugs have been seized."
The BJP leader also accused Kejriwal of 'mocking' the soldiers with his "basless allegations"
"Kejriwal, who has mocked the honour of our soldiers by raising many baseless questions from surgical strike to Balakot, is he not mocking our Coast Guard forces and their personnel, who are fighting against this drug mafia with alertness and seriousness," he added.
Earlier in the day, the former Delhi Chief Minister condemned the attack on Shiromani Akal Dal leader Sukhbir Badal and also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over law and order and drug problems in the national capital.
Speaking at the Delhi Assembly today, Kejriwal said, "I strongly condemn this incident (attack on Sukhbir Badal) in the harshest terms, but one thing is clear: a massive conspiracy is being orchestrated to defame Punjab and Punjabis, and very powerful forces are involved in this."
"Today, the Punjab Police demonstrated their efficiency by preventing this incident, showing how law and order should be maintained. This morning, when the incident occurred in Punjab, the entire BJP and media began questioning the state's law and order. While we managed to prevent the incident in Punjab, in Delhi, murders are happening, and drugs are being sold openly, yet the entire BJP remains silent," he further said.
Kejriwal also pointed out that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has a direct responsibility to improve Delhi's law and order situation.
"Shootouts are happening within a 30-kilometer radius of the Home Minister's residence, and he is seemingly asleep. Does the life of a common citizen hold no value?" he said.
The AAP supremo also mentioned that wherever he meets the people, they all tell him the same thing--that drug abuse is increasing everywhere.
"People are urging me to raise the issue of drugs. But where are these drugs coming from? Drugs are not even manufactured in Delhi. On October 1, 562 kilos of cocaine and 40 kilos of marijuana were seized in Mahipalpur. They came from Gujarat. A total of 1289 kg of cocaine was seized. During the Lok Sabha elections itself, drugs worth Rs 30,959 crore were seized, out of which 30 percent was seized from Gujarat alone. In September 2021, three thousand tonnes of drugs were seized from Mundra Port. In the last few years, drugs worth two and a half lakh crore have been seized in Gujarat. Drugs are coming from Mundra Port via sea. Its factories are set up in Gujarat and from there it is being sent to Punjab, UP, Rajasthan, MP, Delhi everywhere," Kejriwal claimed.
He, further said that in this country, the responsibility of controlling drugs lies with the Home Minister.
"Right under his nose, drugs are being distributed across the country from Gujarat. Gujarat, which is his home state, has now become a hub for drugs," he said.