Firebrand Congress leader and Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani has spoken out against an open secret in the dry state of Gujarat — free availability of liquor and drugs.

During the state Congress’s Jan Aaakrosh Yatra in north Gujarat a week ago, the 44-year-old Dalit leader publicly reprimanded cops at the Tharad superintendent’s office for their alleged inaction on a woman’s complaint against the liquor menace.

The confrontation, which gained traction on social media, led to a war of words between Mevani and deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi, who holds the home portfolio, and the director-general of police. Since then, rallies have been held both for and against Mevani.

The BJP has dismissed Mevani’s allegations as “baseless”.

In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Mevani shares the reasons behind his anger, outbursts and his demand for Sanghavi’s resignation.

Q: What makes Jignesh Mevani angry?

Mevani: Whenever I see injustice of a gross nature, I get agitated and aggressive. I have nothing to gain personally. The recent movement against liquor and drugs is absolutely in the public interest. I have seen hundreds of youth killing themselves when they do not get their quota of drugs.

After I became a first-time MLA in December 2017, a function was organised a couple of months later at Gomtipur in Ahmedabad to felicitate me. Women complained to me that the police do not listen to them as they come from the poor strata of society. They said they were abused. We went to the Gomtipur police station and gheraoed the police for three hours. The police inspector was transferred in two days.

I have conducted such janta raids in different parts of Gujarat. But there is no commitment on the part of the government and the police to put an end to such nonsense.

In Gujarat, a massive statewide racket is run by state ministers and some 100-plus IPS officers. These IPS officers, in connivance with the ruling system, run the racket of bringing liquor worth crores of rupees from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and make lots of money.

This is a blatant disregard of the rule of law and the Constitution. Most of the district superintendents of police, deputy SPs and police inspectors make money. The same money becomes part of their hawala racket and gets invested in real estate and businesses. The police become lawbreakers.

The liquor that comes from Rajasthan passes through Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana and Gandhinagar before being distributed at various places in Ahmedabad. The districts have three IG-level officers, four assistant superintendent-level officers, about 15-20 deputy SP-level officers and several police inspectors. How can the people of Gujarat remain silent?

Q: Why are you targeting only the deputy chief minister?

Mevani: I am not targeting only the deputy CM. I have also been talking about police officers. Is this possible without the blessings of the home minister, the cabinet and the CM?

What does it mean? Just because this has been going on for decades doesn’t mean nobody should speak up. It is the greatest insult to the people of Gujarat, particularly women. It is the greatest insult when senior citizens, women and youngsters ask the police to raid liquor dens and act against bootleggers and yet nothing is being done. Is this a democracy we are living in?

Drugs were not a major issue when I entered politics in 2016-17. It is a five-six-year-old phenomenon. Over the last couple of years, drugs worth ₹72,000 crore have been seized from Gujarat’s coastline. This does not include the drugs that are found at Adani Port and those seized by the ATS, crime branch and other police officers.

This raises questions. Who are these people who are dumping drugs in Gujarat? Why do the drug peddlers find Gujarat a safe haven when Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa also have coastlines?

People should know about the recipients of these drugs, the smuggling channel, distributors, end users and also the drugs that could not be seized. The Gujarat government cannot get away with saying we are trying to catch them.

Gujarat must become drug-free. Is it possible that the seniormost IPS officers, SP and IG-rank officers who are making money out of gambling, prostitution, land deals, mining and liquor, will not be making money out of drugs? The people of Gujarat are not naive.

Q: Why is the home minister not saying anything?

Mevani: He has nothing to say. What will he say? Is it possible without the blessings of his government? The minister who is making money out of drugs is the traitor of Gujarat... the traitor of the motherland. I have challenged him (Sanghavi) to an open debate with me. He has no guts.

If drugs are seized from our house, we will be questioned and there will be an inquiry. Why has Gautam Adani not been questioned so far? Drugs worth thousands of crores have been seized from Adani’s Mundra port. Is he beyond the rule of law?

Harsh Sanghavi made a statement that a lot of drugs come from Pakistan. If this is the case, why did you declare a ceasefire? Conditions should have been laid down.

Drug-making factories have also been raided. This is a very serious issue. Nothing much is being done about complaints regarding liquor and drugs. The CM is not uttering a word as if he does not care. He should have a blueprint for ending the drug menace.

Q: Will liquor and drugs be one of the key issues to be raised by you and the Congress in the upcoming civic elections?

Mevani: Elections or no elections, the Congress will continue to raise this issue. (Elections to municipal corporations, taluka and district panchayats are likely to be held in the first half of 2026). Recently, Rahul Gandhi also spoke about it. He categorically asked who is saving the traitors of Gujarat.

Q: Liquor has been freely available in Gujarat for several years. Why this sudden outburst?

Mevani: A woman told me about the issue of liquor and asked me to go to the SP’s office in Tharad. I was offended to see the police’s indifference towards the woman, who has been raising this issue for the past several years.

I got angry, shouted and became extremely aggressive. It caught the people’s imagination, maybe because people in Gujarat wanted someone fiery like me to take the issue to its logical end. Lakhs of people have been commenting on the reels.

Q: What if Sanghavi does not resign?

Mevani: I will make him resign. I will keep raising the issue till he loses his job.

Q: Are you against liquor or are you against the free flow of liquor in Gujarat, a dry state?

Mevani: I want a drug-free Gujarat.

Q: Do you want prohibition to be strictly implemented?

Mevani: My top priority is a drug-free Gujarat because alcoholics may come out of their addiction and get rehabilitated. But getting out of drug addiction is extremely difficult. People do not die by suicide when they do not get liquor, but they loot their family members and even kill themselves when they do not get drugs.

According to one report, there are lakhs of people in Gujarat who consume drugs. Where are we heading? The chief minister and home minister are clueless about rehabilitating people who are addicted to drugs.

I also want prohibition to be strictly implemented in Gujarat and politicians who have made money out of it to be jailed. My fight continues till Gujarat becomes liquor- and drug-free.