Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday targeted the BJP's double-engine government in Madhya Pradesh after at least 10 people died allegedly due to contaminated water in Indore and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is always silent whenever poor die. Gandhi alleged that Madhya Pradesh has become the epicentre of misgovernance and cited various instances of casualties reportedly due to cough syrups, poor hygiene at government hospitals and now due to contaminated water. "Not water, but poison was distributed in Indore, and the administration remained in deep slumber," he said in a post on X in Hindi. "Every home is filled with mourning, the poor are helpless - and on top of that, BJP leaders are making arrogant statements. Those who lost their lives and livelihoods needed solace; the government offered arrogance," he said. Senior MP cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday triggered a controversy after he used an objectionable word on camera — ghanta (loosely translating to nonsense) — when questioned by a TV journalist about the water contamination incident.
Gandhi, in his post, asked why complaints were not heard when people repeatedly complained about dirty, smelly water. "How did sewage get mixed with the drinking water? Why wasn't the supply stopped in time? When will action be taken against the responsible officers and leaders?" the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha asked. "These aren't trivial questions — they demand accountability. Clean water isn't a favour, it's a right to life. And the BJP's double engine government, its negligent administration, and insensitive leadership are solely responsible for the destruction of this right," he said. "Madhya Pradesh has now become the epicentre of misgovernance - deaths from cough syrup, rats killing children in government hospitals, and now deaths from drinking sewage-contaminated water. And whenever the poor die, Modi ji remains silent, as always," Gandhi alleged. Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava on Friday said he has received information about 10 deaths due to a diarrhoea outbreak caused by contaminated water in the Bhagirathpura area of the city. However, local residents have claimed that 14 individuals, including a six-month-old infant, have died due to the health crisis. The health department has not confirmed this claim. Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Madhav Prasad Hasani said on Thursday that laboratory test reports from a city medical college had confirmed that the drinking water from the locality was contaminated due to a leakage in a pipeline.
The CMHO, however, did not share the detailed findings of the report. Administrative officials have also been avoiding giving clear information about it. Officials said a leakage was found in the main drinking water supply pipeline near a police outpost in Bhagirathpura, at a spot over which a toilet has been constructed. They claimed the leakage led to contamination of the water supply. More than 1,400 people have been affected by vomiting and diarrhoea in Bhagirathpura over the past nine days.