Agartala, Jan 5: Alleging a sharp rise in drug abuse and internal crimes in Tripura after 2018, CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury on Sunday said the situation has worsened to an unprecedented level under the present regime.

Addressing reporters, Chowdhury stated that while drug use existed during the Left Front government, its spread since 2018 has crossed all limits. He further claimed that along with narcotics, incidents of other internal crimes have also seen a significant increase across the state.

Chowdhury made the remarks while reacting to a recent statement by state minister Ratan Lal Nath, who had said that drugs are a bigger enemy than the CPI(M). Countering the minister’s claim, the CPI(M) leader alleged that the present government has failed to effectively curb the growing menace of drugs and crime in Tripura.