If Fadnavis has the courage, he should bring Bishnoi from Sabarmati jail to Mumbai's Arthur Road jail: Maharashtra Congress chief

Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal on Thursday questioned why gangster Lawrence Bishnoi was allegedly able to operate from Gujarats Sabarmati jail and demanded that he be transferred to Mumbais Arthur Road jail for questioningSapkal also demanded an Enforcement Directorate ED investigation into allegations involving Rs 500 crore raised by Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil calling for the arrest of those named in an audio clip he had releasedThe Congress leader also demanded immediate financial assistance for droughthit farmers in MaharashtraSpeaking to the media at Tilak Bhavan in Mumbai Sapkal alleged that law and order had deteriorated in Maharashtra and accused the BJPled Mahayuti government of failing to curb organised crime and gangrelated violenceHe questioned whether the BJPled Mahayuti government had given the Bishnoi gang a free hand in MaharashtraSpeaking in Marathi Sapkal said ldquoHas the BJPled Mahayuti government given the Bishnoi gang a free hand in Maharashtra Is Lawrence Bishnoi the governments soninlawrdquoHe also alleged that Bishnoi was operating from Gujarats Sabarmati jail threatening public representatives and Bollywood personalities and that incidents of firing and murder had raised security concerns He challenged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saying ldquoIf Fadnavis has the courage he should take Bishnoi out of Sabarmati jail put him in the anda cell at Mumbais Arthur Road jail and interrogate himrdquoHe said the fear of crime was not limited to Bollywood but had spread across Maharashtra Referring to an alleged attack on actor Tiger Shroff and the murder of a former minister Sapkal blamed the rise in crime and gang activity on the Home Departments failure to maintain law and orderThe Congress leader also called Fadnavis an ineffective Home Minister and demanded that the state appoint a capable fulltime Home MinisterSapkal seeks ED probe into Rs 500 crore allegationsSapkal demanded an ED investigation into an audio clip released by Jarange Patil which he alleged raised questions about transactions involving Rs 500 croreHe called for an investigation into the identities of those named in the recording and sought answers about the alleged source of the money who brought it into the transaction and who received itSapkal claimed that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and MP Shrikant Shinde were named in the audio clip and demanded their arrest These were allegations made by the Congress leader the claims and the contents of the recording would require independent verificationSapkal questions Hardeep Puris alleged Epstein linksThe Congress leader also questioned Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puris association with Jeffrey Epstein after a photograph reportedly showing the two surfaced publiclySapkal questioned Puris explanation that he had met Epstein as part of a delegation arguing that the photograph appeared to depict a private meeting He also alleged that the Centre was shielding the minister and questioned why no action had been takenSapkal further claimed that discussions about Epstein were being restricted in Parliament and questioned the governments response to the controversyCongress leader rejects Parinay Fukes allegations against Rahul GandhiResponding to allegations made by BJP leader Parinay Fuke against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Sapkal dismissed them as an attempt to defame himHe accused the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh RSS of targeting historical figures including Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru through similar campaigns Sapkal also referred to a familyrelated matter involving Fukes family saying his party had chosen not to make it public because it considered the issue a personal disputeSapkal said he did not consider Fukes allegations against Rahul Gandhi worthy of a responseSapkal demands Rs 1 lakh per hectare for droughthit farmersTurning to the drought situation in Maharashtra Sapkal accused the Mahayuti government of offering inadequate relief to distressed farmers With Diwali approaching he questioned whether affected farming families would receive sufficient assistance to celebrate the festivalHe demanded that the government deposit Rs 1 lakh per hectare directly into farmers bank accounts before Diwali and implement a blanket farm loan waiverHis other demands included setting up cattle fodder camps ensuring drinking water supplies providing financial assistance to agricultural labourers distributing 12 free LPG cylinders restoring the old employment guarantee scheme and waiving all types of educational fees for childrenSapkal also demanded free state transport bus passes for students arguing that drought relief must extend beyond farmers to agricultural workers and rural families facing financial hardshipThe Congress leader called on the state government to move beyond announcements and provide immediate financial assistance and essential services to droughtaffected communities