Joining a growing chorus of dissenting voices within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Patan MLA Ajay Vishnoi has accused the state government in Madhya Pradesh of bending backward to please the liquor mafia.

Vishnoi claims that the entire State government has bowed down before the liquor syndicate. He also shared a video showing party MLA Pradeep Patel prostrating before the Additional SP of his constituency, Mauganj.

Patel decided on this action after the senior police official refused to heed his repeated complaints about what the MLA describes as growing incidents of crime in the area.

The video, which was shared a number of times on X (Twitter), shows an exasperated Patel prostrating with folded hands while saying, "If you can't control the goons, let them kill me."

Vishnoi's comment on social media comes nearly six months after his sworn opponent, Nilesh Awasthi, was inducted into the BJP in March. Vishnoi was quick to express his displeasure at the time.

Those in the know say that matters came to a head after Awasthi, a former Congress MLA, joined and presented a fresh challenge to Vishnoi within his own party.

Naturally miffed over the induction, Vishnoi took to social media and posted a six-minute audio clip criticizing the former Congress MLA.

Vishnoi and Awasthi both contested the 2023 assembly election from Patan; this time, the former avenged his defeat at the hands of Awasthi in 2018.

With their rivalry spanning a considerable period, Vishnoi reacted to Awasthi's inclusion in his party, saying, "Former MLA of Patan, brother Nilesh Awasthi, is welcome in BJP. It is our compulsion to welcome those who join BJP."

Not stopping there, Vishnoi went on to say that it was important for people to familiarize themselves with Awasthi's views about the Congress, as the leader had quit the party to join the BJP.

"I am sending an audio. In this six-minute audio, Nilesh ji is praising former Congress CM Kamal Nath and other leaders, explaining why he is leaving Congress," he said. "After three and a half minutes in the audio, he states that after he joins the BJP, what will happen to the BJP workers." He also used filthy language toward the BJP workers, said the MLA in his social media post at the time.

Political observers feel that in the new government, those who have come from Congress are receiving more importance than those who have dedicated their entire lives to the saffron party. Vishnoi's recent comments clearly show his annoyance with the state government for marginalizing party old-timers.