‘Opium lunch’: Complaint filed against Jaswant, ministers

The alleged use of opium at a lunch hosted by senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh on Wednesday, is turning out...

The alleged use of opium at a lunch hosted by senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh on Wednesday, is turning out to be a big controversy in the state. On Friday, an advocate filed a complaint against him and nine other senior BJP leaders in the NDPS Court in Jodhpur. The advocate, Omprakash Bishnoi, has demanded that legal action be taken against those involved.

The complaint was filed by Madhosingh Chowdhry, Bishnoi’s lawyer, against 10 BJP leaders including Singh and Rajasthan cabinet ministers Ghanashyam Tiwari and Madan Dilawar. The court is expected to hear the complaint on Saturday and Chowdhry is hopeful that the matter would be handed over to the police for investigation.

“Though one is not sure if opium was distributed by Singh during the lunch, if it is found true, it is a serious matter. What kind of an example are the senior politicians giving?” asked Chowdhry. He added if the accused are found guilty, they could be awarded a maximum sentence of 10 years.

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Jaswant Singh had organised a lunch at his ancestral village, Jasol, in Barmer district on Wednesday. Traditionally, the locals there serve opium-laced saffron milk to guests, though Singh himself denied that he had served opium to any of his guests after certain section of the media showed him and his guests sniffing their palms.

Singh claimed that opium was not used during the celebration. Singh had claimed he had held the function to celebrate his son Manavendra’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections and his grand-daughter’s birth.