NEW DELHI/INDORE — Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh of criminal negligence following deaths and illnesses caused by contaminated drinking water in Indore’s Bhagirathpura area. He said the government must take responsibility and provide compensation and assistance to the affected families.
After meeting victims and their families, Gandhi said access to safe drinking water continues to be a serious issue in the country even today. He alleged that the failure to ensure clean water and control pollution reflected the government’s inability to fulfil its most basic responsibilities.
Several people have died and many others have fallen ill after consuming contaminated water in the locality, he said, describing the incident as a direct consequence of administrative negligence. “The affected families must be given proper compensation and support,” he demanded.
Quoting local residents, the Congress leader said Bhagirathpura still lacked an assured supply of clean drinking water. He added that alternative arrangements made by the authorities were temporary and largely symbolic, warning that conditions could revert to their earlier state once public attention waned. Residents, he said, were demanding a permanent and systematic solution, which was entirely justified.
Gandhi said that as Leader of the Opposition, it was his responsibility to raise the concerns of the affected families and stand with them in their struggle for basic civic amenities.
He also questioned the implementation of the Smart City scheme, remarking that this seemed to be the new model of a “Smart City” where citizens did not even have access to safe drinking water. The issue, he said, was not confined to Indore but prevalent in many cities across the country.
Later, in a post on X, Gandhi alleged that the BJP’s “double-engine government” model was characterised by poisoned water, air, medicine and land. He claimed that when questions were raised, accountability was replaced with bulldozers. Gandhi demanded strict action against those responsible, along with proper medical treatment and immediate compensation for the victims.
