Surat, Feb 8 (IANS) Gujarat Congress President Amit Chavda, on Sunday, accused the state government of failing on law and order and alleged large-scale corruption at the Bardoli Sugar factory in Surat district.

Addressing the media, Chavda claimed that illegal activities had increased in the Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi’s area, alleging that “bootleggers and anti-social elements have become rampant”.

“Residents were complaining that liquor and drugs were destroying the youth, and that due to the dominance of criminal elements… it has become difficult for sisters and daughters to step out at night,” he said.

Referring to the Bardoli Sugar Factory, Chavda said it is Asia’s largest sugar factory and a vital institution for farmers of south Gujarat.

However, he alleged that it had been “looted and exploited by corrupt Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rulers”, adding that corruption had taken place on a wide scale.

“Under the current government, farmers were not getting remunerative market prices, pollution levels had increased, unemployment had risen, the law and order situation had deteriorated, and corruption was visible across sectors,” he alleged.

Highlighting Bardoli’s historical significance, Chavda said the region had been a key centre of the freedom struggle against British rule under the leadership of country’s former Home Minister Sardar Patel.

On this basis, he demanded that the Sardar Memorial be declared a national memorial.

Chavda also announced that the Congress would intensify its agitation in the coming days.

“District Congress and taluka Congress committees would take to the streets to fight for people’s rights and justice,” he said.

The remarks come amid an intensified campaign by the Congress in Gujarat targeting the state government, particularly Home Minister Sanghavi, over issues of law and order and alleged illegal liquor and drug trade.

Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani has been at the forefront of these attacks, accusing the state government of failing to curb illegal liquor and drug networks and questioning the effectiveness of policing under the Home Department.

The party has linked these allegations to broader claims of governance failure and public safety concerns.

The Congress has indicated that it will continue to raise these issues through protests and public outreach programmes, positioning law and order, farmer distress and alleged corruption as key political issues in the state.

–IANS

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