Politicians and bizarre comments have almost become synonymous, especially in the recent past with Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb making weird statements. Now, joining the club is Rajasthan BJP MLA Arjun Lal Garg, who has advised people not to smuggle drugs.
Sure, this may seem like a normal and even sensible advice to the youth, but there's a catch! Addressing the Dewasi community in Jodhpur, the MLA from Bilara told attendees that they might as well smuggle gold instead as it is easier to obtain a bail in cases of gold smuggling.
"Let me tell you truly that the Dewasi community broke the record of Bishnois in drug peddling," Garg is heard saying in a purported video clip, according to the Press Trust of India. "If you wanted to do some 2 no. (illegal) business, do the business of gold. Prices of both are the same but it was safer to do gold business than drug," he adds.
Garg was talking about drug addiction and peddling issues in the state and how scores of youth are lodged in the Jodhpur jail for smuggling, peddling and consuming drugs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 Act. "It was not acceptable that largest number of prisoners in Jodhpur Jail are from Dewasi community. Also, any smuggling was a crime and could not be allowed," he added.
The video, which went viral on Wednesday, May 30, also shows Garg saying that it would be a "matter of pride" if one is caught with smuggled gold than being caught with drugs.
While Rajasthan MLA Garg's statements are causing an uproar now, the comments were, in fact, made on May 7.
Before him, Deb made headlines for his strange statements. The Tripura CM had advised youngsters not to seek government jobs and instead set up paan shops for a living. He had said that the youth today should be self-sufficient and not wait to find government jobs.
"The youth here runs after political parties for several years to get a govt job and wastes the vital time of their life, had the same youth instead of running after parties set up a paan shop he would have by now had a bank balance of Rs 5 lakhs," ANI quoted him as saying.
Before this, Deb had grabbed the limelight for his comment on how satellite communication and the internet was first used in India during Mahabharata.
"Internet and satellite communication had existed in the days of Mahabharata. How could Sanjaya (the charioteer of King Dhritarashtra) give a detailed account and description to the blind king about the battle of Kurukshetra?" ANI quoted him as saying.
"It means internet was there, the satellites and that technology was there in this country at that time."
