Senior Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday lambasted the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Madhya Pradesh government over water contamination in Indore's Bhagirthpura area that has claimed 15 lives. Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said that poison is being distributed in Indore and the administration was sleeping like 'Kumbhakarna'.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the MP from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli claimed that the locals had regularly complained about the contaminated water, but the administration did not pay heed to it. Asking how did the leakage happen, Gandhi said strict action should be taken against those who are responsible for the contamination of water.
"People are mourning in every house, the poor are helpless -- and to top it off, arrogant statements were made by BJP leaders," the former Congress president said in Hindi, taking a dig at Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya whose video of arguing with a journalist had gone viral on social media.
"These aren't 'freebie' questions — they are demands for accountability. Clean water isn't a favour; it's a right to life. And for the murder of this right, the BJP's double-engine government, its negligent administration, and its callous leadership are entirely responsible," Gandhi said, questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'silence' over the issue.
Two officials suspended, one withdrawn from service
Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government has suspended two municipal corporation officials and dismissed one from service, promising further action. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the situation is like an 'emergency' and his government is constantly monitoring the situation.
A laboratory test, on the other hand, has confirmed a diarrhoea outbreak in the Bhagirthpura. The test findings substantiated that a life-threatening drinking water supply system prevails in parts of Madhya Pradesh’s commercial capital, which has been ranked India’s cleanest city for the last eight years.
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