Maharashtra: Drug trafficking in state is impossible without the blessings of officials, says Nana Patole

Pic/Maharashtra Congress

Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole on Tuesday said that drug trafficking in the state is impossible without the blessings of state officials.

"The drug cartel in Nashik is now expanding to cities like Amravati. School and college students are getting trapped in the grip of drugs, which is a cause of concern. The responsibility in the Nashik drug case should be accepted by the government. It's essential to stop this menace that is ruining the lives of the youth. We urge the government to not turn Maharashtra into Punjab," Nana Patole said.

"Such a huge drug cartel cannot be run without the blessings of the state officials," he added. The Maharashtra Congress President was speaking at the party's review meeting held in Amravati.

His accusation in the wake of the recent unearthing of a clandestine drug manufacturing unit in Nashik's Shindegaon.

"Who helped the drug mafia Lalit Patil escape from Sasoon hospital? How did Lalit Patil disappear? Who is trying to release him? We have all the information. We will disclose it at the appropriate time, but no one should back those playing with the lives of the youth. It is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that such incidents do not occur. The drug case in Nashik is not recent, it has been going on for a while, and slowly it is becoming clear who is backing the accused," Nana Patole said.

After the Congress party's review meeting in Amravati, Nana Patole said that the trust of the people in the Congress party is increasing, and priority is being given to reaching out to the public.

"The implementation of decisions taken at the All India Congress Committee's Udaipur camp is also being reviewed. The issue of seat distribution will be decided after discussions within the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance. Local officials and workers have been demanding that they be given a chance to contest elections on behalf of our party. Their demand is reasonable, but the decision on seat distribution will be made based on merit. Rather than thinking about who will get which constituency, the focus should be on selecting deserving candidates from MVA. Our main objective is to oust the BJP, which does not respect the democratic system," he said.

While answering a question about the ‘Vibrant Gujarat' summit, the Maharashtra Congress President said, "We are the soldiers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Today's ruling authorities are looting Maharashtra and giving it back to Surat. The people in the government have openly admitted that they are the agents of Gujarat."

Meanwhile, MLC Satyajeet Tambe has written to the Director General of Police (DGP) and demanded that police patrol teams should be set up across the state to prevent the drug menace.

"There is a dire need to take care and act quickly so that students and youth don't get caught up in drug addiction. Vigilance should be kept in small shops and stalls outside schools and colleges. Such patrol squads should be set up all across the state," Tambe said.

"In big cities like Mumbai, cases of drug selling on tapris or small stalls near schools have surfaced. Such incidents also came to light in Pune. If such a large stock is found in Nashik, not just Nashik, but schools, parents, and police of the entire state should be on alert," he added.