Congress accuses Puducherry government of complacency in tackling drug menace

Puducherry PCC chief accuses NDA government of complacency in preventing drug spread leading to child murder.

Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief V. Vaithilingam on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, accused the AINRC-led NDA government of “complacency” and said the lack of preventive measures to combat the spread of drugs had led to the murder of a nine-year-old girl in the Union Territory.

“Reports have surfaced that some of the accused persons in the murder are drug addicts. The government has failed to contain the spread of drugs. It has become a matter of concern that ganja and other narcotic substances are easily available in Puducherry. There is no control over resto bars [that have been opened] in the name of tourism promotion,” he said, addressing a press conference.

The body of the child was recovered from a drain near her house on Padasalai Veedhi in Sholai Nagar, on Tuesday, March 5, three days after she went missing.

The PCC chief, who is also the Puducherry MP, said senior police officers themselves have admitted to the widespread prevalence of drug abuse among school and college students. There are reports also of the sale of drugs around educational institutions. However, there has been no concrete action to check the use of drugs in schools and colleges, he said.

“The Home Minister has not uttered a word about the incident involving the girl child. We will wait for two to three days to see what action is taken by the government to curb the spread of drugs. If no convincing measures are taken by the government, the Congress will galvanise like-minded parties to launch a major agitation or even call for a bandh in the coming days, the PCC chief said.

The PCC chief said it was natural for the Congress to stake claim to the Puducherry Lok Sabha seat as the constituency is held by the party. The “I.N.D.I.A. alliance leaders are in talks at the national level. The Congress is the natural claimant for the seat. However, it will be decided by the national leadership,” the MP said.