Oppn protests Maharashtra govt's alleged protection of Lalit Patil amid rising menace

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Leaders of Maharashtra's opposition parties gathered for a protest at Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur, voicing their worries about the state's growing drug problem and accusing some ministers of providing cover to infamous drug dealer Lalit Patil. Congress, the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, and the Shiv Sena all joined forces to chant anti-government slogans as members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

MLC Satej Patil, opposition leader in the legislative assembly Vijay Wadettiwar, council leader Ambadas Danve, and other lawmakers brought attention to the startling increase in drug addiction among young people in Maharashtra during the protest. Drawing a comparison, Wadettiwar said that the circumstances were similar to the 2016 movie "Udta Punjab," which showed a drug crisis in the state's north.

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"The youth of Maharashtra is getting addicted to drugs, and the state is on the verge of becoming 'Udta Maharashtra' like 'Udta Punjab'," said Wadettiwar, referring to the 2016 Bollywood film.

Speaking to reporters, the Congress leader demanded that immediate action be taken against certain ministers who he claimed were shielding Lalit Patil. Patil had recently come to light as the main player in a drug conspiracy that Sakinaka police in Mumbai busted. The operation involved raiding a drug manufacturing facility in Nashik and seizing mephedrone worth about Rs 300 crore.

The legislative assembly was previously informed by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that drugs valued at approximately Rs 50,000 crore had been seized by the police in the state recently. Along with mentioning covertly locating and closing 2,200 small drugstores in Mumbai, Fadnavis talked about taking action against the drug problem.

He made the revelation in response to a question from Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar but he did not make it clear as to within what time frame were these seizures conducted.

"The police have seized drugs worth Rs 50,000 crore in the recent past. The police discretely tracked 2,200 small shops (selling drugs) in Mumbai and removed them to curb the menace of drugs. The state government is keeping a watch on chemicals being imported which could be used to make drugs. We have also found that closed factory sites are being used for drug production," he said.

With PTI inputs