 "Uddhav Thackeray")
Saamana, the official mouthpiece of the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction, claimed that there is a conspiracy to make Maharashtra addicted to drugs and added that the state has become a big market for the sale and consumption of drugs.
"There is confusion in the minds of people regarding whether there is a government in Maharashtra or not. Due to the non-existence of the government, Maharashtra has become a big market for the sale and consumption of drugs," Saamana said.
Adding that Gujarat has become an international hub of drug mafias, Saamana said, "Goods from Gujarat are coming to Maharashtra. The conspiracy to make Maharashtra a drug addict will have to be exposed."
Saamana further claimed that the drugs that are not being seized by the authorities at the ports of Gujarat are being released into Maharashtra.
"This picture is not good for Maharashtra. If the drug dealers start getting royal patronage, then the situation of the state will become like 'Udta Punjab', the public is beginning to feel so. Drugs worth thousands of crores are caught at the ports and airports of the neighbouring state of Gujarat, and the goods that could not be seized are released and come to Maharashtra," the Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece said.
Claiming that Nashik city is in the grip of drug consumption, Saamna said, "Many intoxicating pills and different types of drugs are being found in schools, colleges, on the roads, at paan kiosks and boys and girls from good families are trapped in the grip of these drugs. Intoxicants cause a feeling of despair and due to this feeling, more than a hundred boys and girls have committed suicide in Nashik so far."
Saamana also alleged that the consumption of drugs in the state cannot spread without police officials giving the nod for it.
"The consumption of drugs has increased in the rich areas and hotels of Mumbai-Thane and it is easily available. This is the failure of the Home Minister. The drug trade cannot run without the connivance of the local police," the editorial said.
