Fresh narcotics seizures expose intelligence lapses, opposition targets Congress government over safety
The Janata Dal (Secular) on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Congress-led Karnataka government following the seizure of drugs worth crores of rupees in Bengaluru by the Maharashtra Police, demanding the immediate resignation of Home Minister G. Parameshwara.
Reacting to the development on social media platform X, the JDS alleged that the continued exposure of drug rackets by police forces from outside the State had exposed serious lapses in Karnataka’s intelligence and policing systems. The party accused the Congress government of weakening the law-and-order machinery and allowing the city to turn into a hub for narcotics manufacturing and trafficking.
“The dignity of the Karnataka Police has been undermined under Congress misrule. The incompetent Home Minister should take moral responsibility and resign,” the JDS said, adding that the State’s intelligence apparatus had failed to detect and dismantle drug networks operating openly in and around Bengaluru.
The criticism follows recent raids by Maharashtra’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), which reportedly unearthed three drug manufacturing units in the city and seized narcotics worth around ₹55–56 crore. JDS leaders claimed that Bengaluru, once known as a peaceful and cosmopolitan city, had now become a “drug den” due to administrative failure.
The party also recalled an earlier incident in July, when the Mumbai Police raided an illegal drug factory in Mysuru district—Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s home district—and seized 192 kg of mephedrone valued at nearly ₹390 crore. According to the JDS, repeated interventions by Maharashtra Police highlight the erosion of Karnataka’s internal surveillance and enforcement capabilities.
In a separate statement, JDS youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy vowed to intensify the party’s agitation against the government. He alleged that the Congress administration was indirectly supporting drug traffickers and warned of a sustained political fight to expose what he described as official apathy.
The JDS maintained that despite repeated intelligence inputs and seizures, the drug menace continues unabated in Bengaluru, raising serious concerns over public safety and governance.
