Indore News: Rahul Gandhi Voices Bhagirathpura Anguish

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Rahul Gandhi on Saturday highlighted the persistent lack of safe drinking water in Bhagirathpura, describing the temporary arrangements provided to residents as symbolic and insufficient.

“Clean water is still a luxury here. The alternative measures provided are temporary, and once public attention fades, the problem will return,” he said, urging authorities to provide a permanent and systematic solution.

He noted that several people had died and many others fallen ill after consuming contaminated water in Bhagirathpura, attributing the tragedy to administrative negligence. Gandhi said that the affected families must be given proper compensation and support and demanded that those responsible for the lapses be held accountable.

Gandhi further questioned the implementation of the Smart City project in Indore, stating that it appeared to be a “new model” where citizens were denied basic amenities like clean drinking water. He said that similar issues were prevalent across other cities in Madhya Pradesh and India, reflecting the failure of both the state and Central governments.

Later, in a post on X, Gandhi alleged that the BJP’s “double-engine government” model was marked by poisoned water, air, medicine, and land. “When questions were raised about public health, bulldozers were deployed instead of accountability. No one has been punished for the deaths of poor citizens,” he said, demanding immediate relief and justice for the victims.

During his visit, Gandhi provided financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh per family of the deceased. Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Umang Singhar, gave another Rs 50,000 to each family.

Senior Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh, Jitu Patwari, Sajjan Singh Verma, Kantilal Bhuria, Rahul Singh, Meenakshi Natarajan, Jaivardhan Singh, Sachin Yadav, Youth Congress National President Uday Bhanu Chib, Indore City Congress Committee President Chintu Choukse, Congress District President Vipin Wankhede, Congress spokesperson Neelabh Shukla, Amit Chourasia, Santosh Singh Gautam and party workers accompanied him throughout the visit.

Gandhi stressed that it was his responsibility as Leader of Opposition to raise these concerns and stand with affected families. He urged the authorities to implement long-term solutions to prevent recurrence, saying that the demand for clean drinking water was not political but a basic civic right.