New Delhi/Bhopal, Oct 11 (IANS): Reiterating its accusation that Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda has direct links with the kingpin of a drug racket, the Congress demanded his resignation from the post on Friday.

The Madhya Pradesh Congress chief made this accusation after multiple photos of the senior BJP leader Devda with the drug lord Harish Anjana went viral on social media soon after he was arrested from Mandsaur district after a recent MD racket was busted in Bhopal.

Notably, Devda, who is also the state's Finance Minister in the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav Cabinet, is also from Mandsaur district.

In the viral photos, Devda was seen not only exchanging greetings on stage with the kingpin of the drug racket, but also eating meals on the same table as Harish Anjana, the Congress alleged.

MP Congress head Jitu Patwari addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters in Delhi on Friday said, Harish Anjana the kingpin of the drug racket busted in Bhopal, wherein narcotics worth thousands of crores were seized, was a close associate of Deputy CM Devda.

He said that the BJP had come out with a lame defence that just because Devda had been photographed with Harish Anjana does not mean they were close.

"It was not about just one or two or three pictures. At least 500 photographs and videos of the drug racket kingpin with the Deputy CM were available on social media and that cannot be a mere coincidence," Patwari said.

He asked why was the BJP protecting Devda when it had been established beyond any doubt that the kingpin was one of his (Devda) closest associates.

He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Devda, otherwise, questions will be raised on the intentions of the BJP and the Central government.

Notably, Anjana was arrested after Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Delhi, in a joint raid at the factory located in Bagroda industrial estate on the outskirts of Bhopal seized MD drug weighing 907.09 kg worth Rs 1,814 crore recently.

In addition to the contraband, around 5,000 kg of raw materials, including chemicals and equipment, used for producing MD, were also seized in the factory.

This was said to be the largest drug factory ever busted by the Gujarat ATS.

Two persons, identified as Amit Chaturvedi (57) and Sanyal Prakash Bane (40), were arrested during the raid.