The discovery of large-scale illegal opium cultivation in Samoda village of the Durg district triggered a dramatic political confrontation in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly on Monday. What began as a demand by the Opposition for an immediate discussion on the issue soon escalated into a standoff between the treasury and Opposition benches.
The situation culminated in the suspension of all 35 Congress MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Charandas Mahant, after they staged a protest before the Chair while pressing for the acceptance of a work stoppage motion on the matter.
The controversy follows a major crackdown by police and district authorities in Samoda village where over 14.3 lakh opium plants cultivated across nearly 11 acres of farmland were seized, with the estimated value of the illegal crop pegged at around ₹7.88 crore. Three persons, including BJP linked local leader Vinayak Tamrakar, were arrested in connection with the case, while two other suspects remain absconding.
Investigators said the opium plants were strategically cultivated between rows of maize and wheat crops inside a sprawling 110 acre farmhouse complex located along the banks of the Shivnath river. The property had been surrounded by fencing and equipped with CCTV surveillance, while access for outsiders was strictly restricted.
Authorities also found that labourers had been brought from Rajasthan to work on the farm and were housed within the farmhouse premises. Security personnel, including bouncers, were reportedly deployed to prevent villagers from approaching the area.
During Assembly proceedings, Leader of the Opposition Charandas Mahant raised the issue soon after Question Hour, pointing out that such a large scale narcotics operation had surfaced barely 50 kilometres from the state capital Raipur.
Mahant said the name of BJP leader Vinayak Tamrakar had emerged in the case and alleged that the ruling party acted against him only after the matter came to light. He also warned that the growing presence of narcotics posed a serious threat to the state’s youth. “Chhattisgarh has long been known as the rice bowl of India, but if such incidents continue it risks turning into an ‘opium bowl’,” Mahant remarked.
When references were made to the Chief Minister during the debate, BJP MLA and former minister Ajay Chandrakar objected strongly and claimed that the cultivation had been going on for the past four years. He, in turn, alleged the involvement of a former Congress minister, leading to sharp exchanges between members of both parties.
Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel accused the government of attempting to shield Tamrakar. He pointed out that the BJP leader’s name appeared third in the FIR, while the first names listed were those of workers employed at the farmhouse, and questioned who the real owner of the land was.
Baghel also claimed that trained labourers were being brought in for opium cultivation and demanded a wider investigation into farmhouses across the state. Congress MLA Daleshwar Sahu called for an inquiry into the possible role of the revenue department, while former minister Umesh Patel and other Opposition members pressed for a detailed discussion on the issue.
Responding to the allegations, Home Minister Vijay Sharma said the raid was conducted based on information provided by an informant, and not on a complaint from the village sarpanch as alleged by the Opposition. He said a joint team comprising police, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and the excise department carried out the operation and recovered 6,224 kilograms of opium plants from the field. Sharma added that Vinayak Tamrakar and his associate Vikas Vishnoi were arrested immediately, while police teams have been dispatched to Jodhpur and other locations to trace the remaining suspects.
Dissatisfied with the government’s reply, Congress legislators insisted that their work stoppage motion be accepted and moved to the well of the House, raising slogans against the government. As the protest intensified, the Speaker ordered the suspension of Mahant and 34 other Congress MLAs, bringing the confrontation in the Assembly to an abrupt halt.
The Samoda opium cultivation case has swiftly turned into a major political flashpoint in Chhattisgarh. The discovery of a large scale narcotics plantation barely 50 kilometres from the state capital has triggered demands for accountability and a wider probe into the network behind the operation. With both the ruling party and the Opposition exchanging sharp allegations, the issue is set to dominate political discourse in the days ahead.