Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hit out at the BJP-led Goa government for failing to curb the state’s rising drug menace, urging it to adopt the systematic measures implemented by the AAP government in Punjab.
AAP Goa Working President and National Spokesperson Valmiki Naik said the state has no clear assessment of the drug problem. “In Goa, the issue only comes into focus when a tragedy occurs, like the recent death of a BITS Pilani student. The police machinery wakes up only after such incidents. Instead of waiting for more youth to die, the government should commission a proper study and take systematic action,” Naik told reporters.
Stating that the menace was not limited to politics, Naik said AAP was ready to support the Goa government in tackling it. “It’s about our youth and the future of Goa. Punjab was once notorious for drugs, but our government has taken bold steps and shown results,” he said.
Naik alleged that Goa has a long history of the drug-politician nexus being “swept under the carpet,” recalling the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence’s 2018 seizure of ketamine worth ₹100 crore from a factory linked to a BJP office-bearer, the 2022 death of BJP leader Sonali Phogat in Anjuna involving drug allegations, and the 2010 case of Israeli dealer Yaniv Benaim alias Atala, which had exposed links between police, politicians and the drug trade. He also referred to then BJP minister Vinod Paliekar’s public claim of being threatened after taking on the drug mafia in Siolim.
Meanwhile, AAP Youth Wing leader Rohan Naik said Goa needs a “serious and strategic fight against drugs, not lip service.” Citing Punjab’s achievements under AAP, he said nearly 26,000 accused have been arrested, thousands of suppliers convicted, and crores worth of illegal assets seized. Additionally, the Punjab government expanded de-addiction facilities with 3,800 new beds, 31 clinics, and mobile units, alongside community mobilisation drives such as the Nasha Mukti Yatra covering 14,000 villages.
“This comprehensive strategy has reduced drug supply, empowered communities, and helped thousands recover. Goa too needs such a systematic approach to save its youth,” Rohan Naik said.
