Tamil Nadu Law Minister S. Regupathy on March 10 alleged that the BJP government at the Centre had pressed the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) into action “to defame and intimidate the DMK”.
Referring to the arrest of former DMK functionary and film producer Jaffer Sadiq by the NCB in Delhi on Saturday, he alleged, “The Deputy Director of the NCB, Gyaneshwar Singh, interacted with the media about the case before the investigation was completed only to gain political mileage for the BJP during the election.”
Addressing the media, Mr. Regupathy and DMK Rajya Sabha member P. Wilson said that the party would initiate legal and criminal proceedings against anyone who sought to link the party with the accused in the drug cartel case.
The DMK leaders wondered how Mr. Singh could brief the media when the investigation was in the preliminary stage.
“What is the basis and where is the evidence? The media briefing, especially during election time, has been done with the motive of defaming the DMK. We will initiate criminal and civil proceedings against anyone who seeks to link the party or our leaders with the case without any basis and evidence,” Mr. Wilson said.
According to Mr. Regupathy, the DMK had two crore members, and it was impossible to check the background of every individual. Mr. Wilson said that the party had expelled Mr. Sadiq when a complaint was made against him.
“We had raised the issue of former Minister C. Vijayabaskar’s involvement in the gutkha scam. Did the AIADMK government remove him from the Cabinet? Even the Governor refused to grant sanction to initiate legal proceedings against him and another Minister, Ramana. The gutkha scam was transferred to the CBI only after our leader M.K. Stalin approached the court and obtained a direction for the same,” Mr. Wilson said.
The Minister said that the DMK government had made efforts to eradicate drugs from the State, which were appreciated by everyone, including the judiciary. “But during the AIADMK regime, gutkha was sold by Ministers and officials,” he claimed.
