New Delhi: Congress on Thursday alleged that the death of 18 people due to contaminated water in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore happened due to the gross negligence, incompetence, and blatant apathy of the BJP government in the state and this “tragedy exposes decades of systemic failure”.
The party also demanded that this neglect be immediately probed and ordered by the Prime Minister’s Office, with escalation to the Asian Development Bank and a Supreme Court–level independent inquiry to make the BJP government accountable.
Addressing a press conference at the old party headquarters here, Congress CWC member and chairman of the media and publicity department Pawan Khera targeted the government and said that once again, the ugly, brutal, and utterly callous face of the BJP government has been exposed.
“In Indore, 18 innocent lives, including a six-month-old infant, have been senselessly lost due to the gross negligence, incompetence, and blatant apathy of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh,” Khera said.
He pointed out that over 40,000 people have been affected, and many are still fighting for their lives in ICUs.
“This is the same Indore city that has clinched the “Cleanest City” title for the eighth consecutive time in the central government’s Swachh Survekshan survey,” the Congress leader said.
He said that the BJP, which endlessly parades its slogan of “sabka saath, sabka vikas,” has failed at its most fundamental duty of providing safe and clean drinking water. Instead of showing urgency, compassion, or accountability, the BJP government displayed shocking arrogance.
Taking a jibe at the state government, Khera said, “Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya insulted concerned journalists with the dismissive remark, ‘don’t ask fokat questions’, and used the shameless word ‘ghanta’ while grieving families waited in vain for the promised compensation. When homes were steeped in mourning, BJP ministers chose hubris over humanity.”
He further said that now, in a grotesque calculation of human life, the government has offered a paltry two lakh rupees per victim, “a contemptible sum that mocks the value of human life”.
“Families are left to bear lifelong grief caused entirely by the BJP’s reckless arrogance, incompetence, and sheer apathy,” he said.
He also said that this tragedy exposes “decades of systemic failure”.
He pointed out that despite flagship programs like the Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the BJP government has repeatedly failed to ensure clean drinking water.
‘This is not the first time Madhya Pradesh has witnessed such catastrophic failure,” he said, adding, “In 2003 and 2008, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided loans of US$200 million and US$71 million to the government of Madhya Pradesh for the Urban Water Supply and Environment Improvement Project, covering the cities of Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore, and Jabalpur.”
He noted that the project was designed to rehabilitate pumping stations, install water metering systems, lay sewage networks, and construct water treatment plants.
“According to ADB records, the funding aimed to improve water access, sanitation, and waste management for millions of citizens,” he said.
“However, over the past two decades, the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has utterly failed to implement these obligations. Quarterly water quality testing was not conducted, monitoring reports were never prepared or submitted, and critical infrastructure projects were left incomplete or mismanaged,” he said.
“The result is contaminated drinking water that has now claimed innocent lives. Also Rs 100 crore of funds released under the UPA government under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh through ADB were meant to save lives and improve public health, but the BJP has squandered them, betraying public trust,” he said.
Khera alleged that this is not mere administrative negligence but is a “criminal betrayal of citizens and a blatant violation of international loan conditions”.
He also said that the blood of 18 innocent people, including a six-month-old infant, lies at the doorstep of the BJP’s arrogance and mismanagement.
Slamming the ruling party, Khera said that the BJP has repeatedly shown that it prioritises politics over public welfare.
“It failed to provide clean water, failed to monitor compliance, and now shows callous disregard for the lives of its citizens. When 18 lives have already been lost, the government’s response is to offer paltry compensation rather than take responsibility,” the Congress leader said.
He also said that Indore’s Bhagirathpura is not an isolated incident.
“Just months ago, at least 23 children died after consuming contaminated cough syrup. Children have lost their lives due to rats in government hospitals. Today, people are dying from drinking sewage-mixed water. Madhya Pradesh, under the BJP government, has now become an epicentre of misgovernance, where apathy kills, and accountability is nowhere to be found,” he said.
Taking a dig at the BJP, he said, “This tragedy exposes the BJP government’s hubris, incompetence, and complete disregard for human life. The people of Madhya Pradesh deserve justice, accountability, and immediate remedial action. The time has come for the BJP to answer for its decades of failure and for the lives lost due to its gross negligence.”
Khera demanded that this neglect be immediately probed and ordered by the Prime Minister’s Office, with escalation to the Asian Development Bank and a Supreme Court–level independent inquiry to make the BJP government accountable.
“Only such intervention can ensure that those responsible for this catastrophic failure are held accountable and that the blood of innocent citizens does not go unavenged,” Khera said
Firing salvos at the government, he said, “How could sewage be allowed to contaminate the city’s drinking water while the BJP government turned a blind eye? Why were repeated warnings from citizens ignored, putting thousands of lives at risk? Who will take responsibility for these preventable deaths caused by the BJP’s reckless negligence? How can the Chief Minister and senior ministers justify their silence while innocent children and infants perish?”
