Karnataka BJP demands CM, Home Minister's resignation over drug factory bust in Mysuru
Four men, including a mechanical engineer, were arrested in a raid conducted by Mumbai's Saki Naka police team in Mysuru last Saturday. The team busted a drug manufacturing facility on the outskirts of the city and seized 188 kilograms of mephedrone drugs with an estimated value of Rs 383 crore.
Speaking at a press conference held at BJP's state headquarters, Jagannath Bhavan, on Tuesday, BJP Yuva Morcha State President and MLA Dheeraj Muniraj has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G. Parameshwara, holding them morally accountable for the drug manufacturing case uncovered by the Mumbai Police in Mysuru — the home district of the Chief Minister.
Dheeraj Muniraj insisted that the Congress government must take strict action against drug-related activities. He announced that the BJP Yuva Morcha would stage a protest in Mysuru on Wednesday (July 30) against the district administration and the Superintendent of Police.
He said the government, the CM, and the Home Minister must take stern action and ensure that no one else becomes involved in such criminal activities.
'Strict measures should be taken against the officers who collaborated and politicians who supported the racket,' he demanded.
MLA Dheeraj added that the Yuva Morcha would also intensify its anti-drug campaign in Bengaluru and eventually across all districts of Karnataka.
He questioned whether the state government is misusing the police system and running the administration with money from illegal drug trafficking.
'If drug suppliers are based in the constituency of the AICC President, and manufacturing is happening in the home district of the Chief Minister, then what are we even supposed to ask? This sends a terrible message,' he questioned.
The BJYM strongly condemned the drug network and the government's inaction, warning that the youth would fall prey to addiction if the Narcotics Control Bureau failed to act decisively.
He pointed out that in the past year alone, over Rs 1,300 crore worth of drug seizures have been reported.
'Even though Maharashtra Police conducted a drug bust in Kalaburagi, the Karnataka government took no action,' he alleged.
Highlighting the deteriorating state of law enforcement, Dheeraj said, 'The Maharashtra Anti-Narcotics Squad conducted a raid near Mysuru — the CM's home district — and discovered a synthetic drug manufacturing unit operating behind a car service centre. How can this happen without the knowledge of the local police?'
He recalled that since the Congress came to power, the drug menace had worsened, starting with the drug seizure at Mangaluru Port in 2023. He also mentioned the recent arrest of Kalaburagi Block Congress President Lingaraju by the Mumbai Police, implying that his political connections are well-known to the public.
'The drug peddling case in Kalaburagi and now the fact that drugs were being manufactured in the CM's home district and supplied from the AICC President's constituency — this is a blot on Karnataka,' he said.
'What are the police and the narcotics units doing?' he asked, noting that in 2024, CM Siddaramaiah and Home Minister Parameshwara had announced a 'Drug-Free Karnataka' app, which has yielded no results. He also criticised the breakdown of law and order in the state.
He noted that the Mysuru Commissioner had suspended Narasimharaja Police Station Inspector Lakshmikant Talwar in connection with the case. 'How can this happen without the knowledge of the police? The intelligence wing is under the CM's control. If this is the situation in his district, what might be the state of affairs elsewhere in Karnataka?' he questioned.
He expressed concern that drug trafficking and consumption are fuelling a rise in rowdy elements and violence. 'It's unfortunate that drugs are now being manufactured right here,' he said.
BJYM State General Secretary Sandeep Ravi, State Secretary Deepak Kumar, and former Bengaluru Central District President Abhilash Reddy were also present at the press conference.
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