Thiruvananthapuram: Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Shashi Tharoor expressed deep concern over the escalating drug problem in Kerala on Monday, urging a united effort to tackle the crisis.

He called for collaboration between the state and central governments to pinpoint the sources of supply and ensure that suppliers and dealers are held accountable.

“The drug menace in Kerala is now becoming extremely serious. It’s an issue I have raised in Parliament, and I have not had a satisfactory response from the authorities. We need to have a war on drugs in Kerala. We need a very serious consciousness-raising effort which unites all religions and political parties… We need the state government to collaborate with the central government to identify the sources of supply,” Tharoor stated.

Tharoor outlined a multi-faceted strategy to combat the issue, emphasising the need for a "war on drugs" and urging efforts to raise awareness that bring together people from all walks of life. He also called on the public to come forward and report drug abuse.

“We must encourage friends of students who are into drugs to come forward. They are wrong if they think they are being loyal to their friend by protecting their wrongdoing... The people that need to be punished are the suppliers and the sellers,” he added.

Tharoor’s concerns reflect the gravity of the situation.

“Unfortunately, with very high unemployment, the temptation for young people to look for distractions including drugs, seems to be growing…” Tharoor said.