New Delhi, Jan 2: In a scathing broadside against the BJP’s “double-engine” administration, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of perpetual silence whenever the poor perish, spotlighting the tragic deaths of at least 10 people from contaminated water in Indore’s Bhagirathpura locality.
Gandhi lambasted Madhya Pradesh as the “epicentre of misgovernance,” reeling off a litany of failures: fatalities from adulterated cough syrups, children killed by rats in filthy government hospitals, and now sewage-tainted water claiming lives. “Not water, but poison was distributed in Indore, while the administration slumbered deeply,” he thundered in a Hindi post on X.
“Every home mourns, the poor are helpless—yet BJP leaders spew arrogance instead of solace,” Gandhi fumed, zeroing in on a viral controversy where senior cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya dismissively retorted “ghanta” (slang for nonsense) to a TV journalist probing the crisis. He demanded: Why were repeated complaints about dirty, smelly water ignored? How did sewage infiltrate the supply? Why no timely shutdown? And when will negligent officers and leaders face the music?
“Clean water is no charity—it’s a right to life. The BJP’s negligent regime has obliterated it,” Gandhi asserted, calling for full accountability.
Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava confirmed 10 deaths from a diarrhoea outbreak triggered by polluted water. Locals, however, allege 14 fatalities, including a six-month-old infant—a figure unverified by health officials. Over 1,400 residents have suffered vomiting and loose motions across nine harrowing days.
Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr. Madhav Prasad Hasani admitted lab tests from a local medical college proved pipeline leakage contamination but stonewalled detailed reports. Officials pinpointed a rupture in the main supply line near a police outpost, exacerbated by an overlying toilet structure, yet provided no timeline for fixes or probes.
Administrative opacity persists, fueling public outrage amid claims of delayed interventions that could have averted the disaster. Gandhi’s intervention amplifies calls for justice in a state plagued by systemic lapses.
