Sole aim at present to defeat BJP in Rajasthan:Sachin Pilot
Jaipur, Aug 2 : Amid claims and counterclaims within the party to Rajasthan Chief Minister's post, Congress state unit President Sachin Pilot on Thursday said that his sole aim at present is to defeat the BJP and make his party form the state government.
"As Pandava prince Arjun was totally focused on his target, a fish's eye, I too am focusing on one thing: To form a Congress government in Rajasthan," said the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee chief, who has returned from a four-day Australia trip.
He said that the opposition party will work unitedly to ensure the ouster of the Vasundhara Raje-led Bharatiya Janata Party government.
As for the party claimants to the CM's post, he said that the Congress had earlier too given him big responsibilities at quite a young age. "I was made an MP when I was just 25; I was made the Union Minister at 31; and now I am leading the Congress state unit at 35."
He also took a dig at Raje, asking her to remain well prepared during her 'Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra' since the public would question her on the unfulfilled promises made during the time she was in the opposition.
There have been claims and counterclaims by various Congress leaders in Rajasthan on the party's chief ministerial candidate. Many Congress leaders have demanded that Ashok Gehlot be named the party's chief ministerial face in the Assembly elections to be held this year.
In the past, Gehlot had said in Jodhpur: "When the (chief ministerial) face is in front of you for 10 years, where is the need to talk about a new face?"
Congress state party affairs incharge Avinash Pandey had announced later that the Assembly elections will be contested under the leadership of Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Maharashtra farmer’s kidney sale in Cambodia exposes suspected international organ racket
Mumbai: A 36-year-old dairy farmer from Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district allegedly sold his kidney in Cambodia after mounting debts and alleged harassment by moneylenders. His complaints has led police to uncover what they describe as a wider transnational organ trafficking network.
According to The Print, Roshan Kule is a resident of Minthur village. He approached police in December 2025, alleging that severe financial distress forced him to travel to Phnom Penh, where he underwent kidney removal surgery on October 14, 2024, at Preah Ket Mealea Hospital. He told investigators he received around ₹8 lakh for the organ.
The case was raised in the Maharashtra Assembly last week, where Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed authorities to expedite the probe.
Superintendent of Police Mummaka Sudarshan said investigators suspect an organised racket involving agents, medical professionals and hospitals. “So far, only Kule has come forward, but we believe there are more donors facing financial distress. We are persuading others to share information,” he said.
According to Kule’s complaint, his troubles began in March 2021 when all 12 of his cows contracted lumpy skin disease. After spending about ₹40,000 on treatment, he allegedly borrowed ₹1 lakh from a local moneylender at high interest. He claimed he was later threatened and assaulted for failing to repay the amount within the stipulated time.
Kule named several lenders in his complaint, alleging that between 2021 and 2022 he paid back over ₹48.5 lakh against loans of only a few lakh rupees. He said he sold land, pledged gold and gave up a tractor but remained under pressure.
Police said Kule contacted Ramkrushna Sunchu, a Solapur resident described as an intermediary in the network, after searching online for options. Investigators alleged that another agent, Himanshu Bhardwaj of Mohali, facilitated travel arrangements. Sunchu himself had previously sold a kidney, police said.
After returning to India, Kule reportedly traveled to Vietnam for job arranged by one of the agents, when he was allegedly beaten and his passport confiscated. He requested assistance from Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar in July 2025 and he was certified to return to India.
Police have registered cases against six people under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for extortion, criminal intimidation, and conspiracy, as well as parts of the Maharashtra Money Lending (Regulation) Act.
During the investigation, Bhardwaj was found to have earlier sold his kidney at Star Kims Hospital in Tamil Nadu. Authorities are probing the alleged involvement of the hospital’s managing director, Dr Rajaratnam Govindswamy, who is currently absconding after securing transit bail from the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court.
Investigators also suspect the role of Delhi-based surgeon Dr Ravinderpal Singh, who allegedly performed transplant procedures linked to the network. The matter is being heard before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, which has granted Singh anticipatory bail and interim protection till March 11.
According to police, recipients were allegedly charged between ₹55 lakh and ₹60 lakh per transplant, with the money shared among doctors, agents, hospitals and donors. Sunchu and Bhardwaj are currently in custody.
The investigation is being conducted by a Special Investigation Team led by Additional SP Ishwar Katkade and further details are awaited.
