BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi

The BJP today defended the Narendra Modi government after the Congress' attack over seizure of heroin worth Rs 1600 crore from a Gujarat-registered vessel near the Kenyan coast last month."It was an unfortunate event in which the Australian forces seized a ship with 1000 kg of drugs. It is true that the owner of the ship is from Gujarat. The ship was taken on rent and all of it was done in a legitimate way," BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said today."The responsibility for drugs control and anti-smuggling is done by central agencies. The state government just plays a coordinating role. So it is sinister to do politics on an issue that is linked to the national interest, especially at the time of elections," she added.Ms Lekhi was responding to an attack from Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi who said the seizure has exposed the "total laxity" of the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government on the issue of coastal security."For Narendra Modi, national security is nothing but a stick for political gain... it is something to whip up jingoism and chest thumping," he said, adding the recent incident has shown how "hollow" his claims are.Mr Singhvi claimed that the ship was chartered to Jamnagar-based Haza Bhai Kathiriya in October last year, whose two brothers are prominent BJP leaders in the state."You are allowing this coastline to be brazenly used by smugglers, and certainly terrorists are and will take advantage of this laxity. This is real national security issue on the ground. It is in your backyard," Mr Singhvi said.Ms Lekhi today claimed that Mr Modi's government last year sent proposals to beef up security at Gujarat ports, but that proposal is with the Centre.

The Jamnagar Special Operation Group (SOG) had earlier claimed that it had unearthed a Pakistan connection in the seizure of the heroin. Nine sailors of the vessel Laxmi Narayan were questioned in connection with the drug seizure.