For the past few days, all that Modi government critics can talk about is the seizure of 3,000 kg of heroin worth Rs. 21,000 crore at the Mundra port in Gujarat’s Kutch district. The port is operated by the Adani group and therefore the left-liberal lobby is looking to push their agenda of publishing wild allegations about a make-believe nexus between the Modi government and the corporate world.
However, what if we told you that the Adani drug port seizure and the media leak of the seizure were fed by the Modi government itself. More such reports may be in line as the Modi government looks to initiate a big crackdown on the drugs mafia.
The Mundra port seizure:
The opposition is repeatedly asking one question- why is the Modi government silent about the massive drug haul at Adani Group-operated Mundra port. However, the criticism doesn’t make much sense.
- The enforcement agencies busted the drugs consignment and there was no cover-up.
- Enforcement agencies are already in action and have also made arrests in the case.
- There is no Modi government-corporate nexus at play. Adani Group is only the operator of Mundra port and doesn’t have the authority to check the contents of the shipments arriving at the port.
The fact remains that the Modi government wanted the drugs consignment to be busted at the Mundra port and, wanted people to know about it. This is why there was no attempt to silence media coverage of the matter. The drugs bust at the Mundra port was only a part of a series of efforts by the Modi government to rid the country of the drug menace.
The NCB crackdown on drugs in Bollywood:
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which serves as the nodal agency in the area of drug law enforcement, has been quite active for the past year.
After Sushant Singh Rajput committed suicide last year, Rhea Chakraborty was arrested by the NCB on the accusation of procuring drugs for Rajput. Over the past few months, the NCB and local police forces have been carrying out an unprecedented crackdown on drug abuse amongst Bollywood celebrities. Known artists like Bharti Singh, Armaan Kohli and Kapil Jhaveri have been arrested at different points of time by the enforcement agencies.
The NCB also summoned actors Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shradha Kapoor, Rakul Preet Singh, Simone Khambatta and celebrity manager Shruti Modi for questioning last year.
Recently, the NCB went a step further and arrested Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan during a raid on a cruise ship by the Central agency. The latest drug consumption-related arrests by the NCB are a bold move. Remember, Shahrukh Khan remains a huge superstar for his massive fanbase across the country and the Mumbai-based media describes him as ‘King Khan’.
Yet, the NCB hasn’t been wary of cracking down on cases of drug abuse within Bollywood. Moreover, the Centre and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra also don’t seem to get along well on the subject of crackdown and arrests over drug abuse in Bollywood.
For the Modi government, the crackdowns on Bollywood isn’t the end of the story. At the end of the day, the Bollywood celebrities who are arrested on consumption charges aren’t the ones producing the drugs.
However, the Modi government is sending across a loud and clear message- we can crack down on anyone. The main target isn’t Bollywood. They aren’t the ones producing the drugs. The main target is, of course, the syndicates that supply the drugs.
The Mundra drug bust part of Modi government’s to crack down on syndicates:
The Modi government has done a commendable job when it comes to bringing the issue of drug abuse to light. This is essentially related to the consumption or demand side of the problem. On the other hand, the Mundra port drug bust is essentially related to depicting the supply side of the problem.
The Modi government has done a good job depicting the image of the consumers. On the other hand, the crackdowns on the ports are depicting the image of the suppliers.
There are several sources of drug supply that India has to tackle. First of all, it is the Golden Triangle. As per the Indian Army’s official website, “The notorious Golden Triangle represents the region coinciding with the rural mountains of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand. It is Southeast Asia’s main opium-producing region and one of the oldest narcotics supply routes to Europe and North America. With a 1643km long border with Myanmar, India has been at risk for the longest time, even before the emergence of Golden Crescent.”
The website adds, “States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland share their border with Myanmar. Drugs including opium, heroin, methamphetamine and many more are smuggled from Myanmar into the northeast. Also, drugs illicitly cultivated in India travel through the same route for trade. Drugs produced in the ‘Golden Triangle’ enter India through Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland from Bhamo, Lashio, and Mandalay in Myanmar. The route bifurcates and one channel moves northwards through Moreh in Manipur while other moves southwards to enter Champai in Mizoram. Moreh (Manipur), Champai (Mizoram), Dimapur (Nagaland), and Guwahati (Assam) have become the nucleus of drug trafficking industry in India’s northeast.”
Then, Pakistan too is deeply involved in supplying drugs across the border into the state of Punjab and other parts of India. This is a part of the Pakistan Army and ISI’s strategy to ‘bleed India through a thousand cuts’.
And now, with the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, we are looking at a new threat of drug trade into India via Afghanistan. The heroine seized at the Mundra port, for example, originated in Afghanistan and was shipped from Iran’s Bandar Abbas Port to Mundra. Afghanistan is the world’s biggest illicit opiate supplier and the drug trade forms the backbone of the Taliban’s economy.