Drugs worth ₹16,000 crore seized in Gujarat in four years, no conviction: Congress flags Adani-BJP nexus

The Congress on Tuesday, 25 November, launched a scathing attack on the BJP government in Gujarat, alleging that the state has turned into the “drug capital of India” under the ruling dispensation. It accused the BJP of being a silent spectator despite massive narcotics seizures in recent years.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Gujarat Congress leader and Seva Dal chief Lalji Desai questioned why, despite drugs worth nearly ₹16,000 crore being seized in the state over the last four years but not a single mastermind or network operator has been arrested or prosecuted successfully.

“Most seizures happen at Adani’s Mundra Port. Yet, mysteriously, no owner, no handler, no real culprit has ever been identified. Instead of cracking down on drug cartels, the BJP government is targeting the Opposition for raising the issue,” Desai alleged. Mundra port is owned and run by Guatam Adani.

Drawing links between the drug seizures and alleged political protection, he claimed that the state home department is “deeply compromised” and accused the government of attempting to silence whistleblowers.

This allegation has come a day after the families of police personnel held protests across northern Gujarat—Palanpur, Patan and Vav–Tharad—demanding an apology from Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani for reportedly warning police officials that they would “lose their jobs” if they failed to act against drug dealers and bootleggers.

The protests were triggered after Mevani recently led a “public raid” along with local residents on an alleged drug shop operating next to a school in Tharad. In a video that has since gone viral, Mevani is heard admonishing police officials for negligence and enabling narcotics and illicit liquor trade in the area.

Desai defended Mevani’s actions, saying the police rally was an orchestrated attempt to deflect attention from the growing drug crisis in the state.

“Instead of acting on the evidence, the police came out on the streets in uniform to protest. This is unprecedented. It exposes how deeply the drug network is shielded,” he said.

Desai also took aim at state Home Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, accusing him of mocking public representatives who are raising concerns.

“When an elected MLA talks of enforcing the law, the Home Minister says ‘don’t worry, I am here’. This in a state that claims total prohibition,” he added.

He further alleged that corruption in the home department is at its peak, recalling that former CM Vijay Rupani had publicly admitted that corruption in Gujarat is highest in the revenue department followed closely by the home ministry.

The controversy unfolds at a time when the Congress has launched its Jan Akrosh Yatra from Dhima in North Gujarat—an outreach initiative focused on issues of farmers, students, women, youth and small traders. The first phase of the yatra will cover 1,100 km across seven districts, 40 talukas and 12 cities, culminating at Becharaji Temple in Mehsana on December 3.

The political stakes are high in Gujarat, especially as Opposition party Congress attempt to sharpen the narrative around governance failures, corruption and law-and-order concerns ahead of upcoming local and national electoral cycles.