Drug seizure turning out to be an embarrassment for Bengal BJP

Youth leader arrested with 100 gm cocaine accuses a party leader of framing her.

The arrest of Pamela Goswami, State secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), for allegedly possessing narcotics is turning out to be a major embarrassment for the party. Ms. Goswami on Saturday alleged that another BJP leader Rakesh Singh was behind the conspiracy leading to her arrest.

“I want CID to probe the matter. Rakesh Singh, who is close to Kailash Vijayvargiya, is behind all this,” she told journalists when she was being produced before the court. 

Ms. Goswami and her colleague Prabir Kumar Dey were caught by the police on Friday with around 100 gm cocaine on them.

The Trinamool Congress leadership used the opportunity to hit at the BJP. Its spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said instead of blaming the ruling party, Ms. Goswami’s charge speaks volumes about the factionalism in the saffron party. 

Ms. Goswami was arrested from New Alipore area on Friday evening. According to reports, she was under the police radar for some time now on suspicion of being involved in drug trafficking. 

On Friday, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya had tried to defend her saying it is yet to be ascertained whether the drugs were planted or not. “We do not know whether she has done it at all or whether the drugs were planted. We also have to take into consideration that the Model Code of Conduct has not yet been imposed, and the police are still being controlled by the State government,” he had said. 

There has been no reaction from the BJP after Ms. Gowami made the allegations. Mr. Singh, however, denied all allegations and said he had not been in touch with her in any manner for the past few years.