Jafar Sadiq was arrested in Delhi based on specific intelligence information (File)
New Delhi:
A day after a former DMK worker was arrested in connection with an international drug trafficking racket, the BJP on Sunday demanded an explanation from party leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin about his links with the accused.
The party charged that the arrests show that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has now become a “drug marketing Kazhagam”.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday arrested exiled DMK functionary Jafar Sadiq (36) in Tamil Nadu in connection with an investigation into a drug trafficking racket estimated to total over Rs 2,000 crore.
Reacting to the development, Bharatiya Janata Party's Mahila Morcha chief Vanati Srinivasan targeted Mr. Stalin and claimed that the Tamil Nadu chief minister's family “appears” to have close ties to the accused.
“Kirthiga Udhayanidhi, the daughter-in-law of Prime Minister MK Stalin, directed the film produced by Jaffer Sadiq. All his social media posts indicate that he is MK Stalin's son, Tamil Nadu Sports Minister ( “It shows how close he was to Udhayanidhi Stalin,” she said. She spoke at a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters here.
“Some of the ruling party (DMK) ministers seem to be very close to Jafar,” she alleged, demanding Stalin explain his links with the alleged “mastermind” of the cross-border pseudoephedrine smuggling ring. requested.
“We believe that Jaffer Sadiq used all his political connections for illegal drug trafficking in different countries. He is a senior member of the ruling party (DMK) but has very powerful connections with the police. They appear to have been networking. In one photo, the DGP appears to be awarding some kind of award to the accused,” Vanati Srinivasan said.
After Jafar Sadiq, NCB's Deputy Director General (Business Affairs) Gyaneshwar Singh told reporters here that apart from some cases of “political funding”, there is no direct relationship between Sadiq and the Tamil and Hindi film industry. and his relationships with some “prominent” figures are under investigation by the department. .
BJP leader Tom Badakkan said in a press conference that with Sadiq's arrest in connection with an international drug lord, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has become a “drug marketing Kazhagam”.
“Stalin and his cronies have reduced the DMK government (in Tamil Nadu) to a drug-selling Kazhagam,” he charged.
Mr. Wadakkan also held gun training with the opposition India Bloc and asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi whether drug trafficking was acceptable.
“Is this the kind of alignment you are trying to introduce in Tamil Nadu?'' he further asked Gandhi.
He said illegal drug trafficking is against the national interest and only Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah can decisively tackle this menace.
He appealed to the people to “give them a second chance” by voting for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming Sabasaba state polls to put drug traffickers behind bars.
Sadiq was arrested in Delhi based on a specific tip-off and the NCB said he was the “mastermind and mastermind” of a cross-border pseudoephedrine smuggling ring that spread from India to Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. The Deputy Director-General (in charge of operations) made the announcement. Saturday.
Sources told PTI that a prominent DMK leader may soon be summoned by the NCB for questioning in connection with financial transactions worth lakhs of rupees.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken cognizance of the NCB case and will soon register a money laundering case to investigate this racket, agency officials said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
