Opposition leader Santosh Pille accuses BJP representatives of shielding liquor mafias and sand smugglers, following a violent incident in Mohad ward
Published on: June 12, 2025
By: [BTNI]
Location: Rajnandgaon, India
In a sharp political attack, the Leader of Opposition in Rajnandgaon Municipal Corporation, Santosh Pille, alleged that illegal liquor trade and sand mining operations spike every time the BJP comes to power. He accused the ruling party of turning a blind eye — or worse, giving implicit approval — to the activities of liquor traffickers and mining mafias.
“Whenever the BJP forms the government, the illegal liquor business booms, and those extracting sand from rivers illegally seem to have a free license to do so,” said Pille. “These mafias flourish openly, with their operations running at full swing under the protection of BJP leaders.”
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Pille claimed that the unchecked flow of illegal liquor has turned into a metaphorical “river of poison,” while the earth continues to be ravaged by illegal mineral excavation. “The mafias are practically celebrating, and those looting the rivers and the land are living large under BJP rule,” he said.
He particularly highlighted a recent incident in Mohad ward, where residents allegedly caught illegal sand extraction in progress from the lifeline river Shivnath, with a JCB machine operating covertly. “When vigilant citizens tried to stop them, they were met with gunfire by the sand mafia,” Pille revealed.
“This is the first such violent incident in our region, which is known as ‘Sanskar Dhani’ for its cultural heritage,” he added. “If BJP leaders continue supporting such nefarious acts, we may not just see country-made pistols, but AK-47s in the hands of these criminals in the future.”
Pille went on to claim that a BJP-affiliated ward councillor was directly involved in shielding the accused in the Mohad case. He urged the district administration to take the strongest possible action against those involved, warning that the silence of law enforcement could embolden the criminals even further.
