Indore water deaths:Rahul Gandhi targets BJP over contaminated water crisis

Deaths caused by contaminated drinking water in Bhagirathpura, located in India’s cleanest city Indore, have triggered a major political storm. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, visited the affected area on Saturday to the meet bereaved families. Interacting with residents, Rahul Gandhi said entire families had fallen ill after consuming polluted water and asked how a city like Indore could fail to provide something as basic as safe drinking water. “People are dying after drinking water here. This is the so-called urban model,” he said, launching a sharp attack on the BJP-led government. Attack on ‘double engine government’ Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP’s “double engine government” of killing people by supplying poisonous water and failing to fix responsibility. He also questioned the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Smart City model, alleging that the government promotes development slogans while basic facilities remain unsafe. In a post on X, Rahul wrote that the BJP’s Smart City model meant “poison in water, poison in air, poison in medicine and poison in land”, adding that those who seek answers are met with bulldozers, while no one is held responsible for the deaths of the poor. Visit to hospital and victim families
Before visiting Bhagirathpura, Rahul Gandhi went directly from the airport to Bombay Hospital in Indore, where he met eight patients affected by contaminated water and spoke to them and their families for around ten minutes. He later visited the homes of two deceased residents — Geeta Bai (60) and Jeevanlal Barede (75) — and paid tribute. Financial assistance announced Rahul Gandhi handed over cheques of ₹1 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Umang Singhar, also announced financial assistance of ₹50,000 each. However, local residents said that both the government and political parties were giving compensation, but what they truly needed was clean and safe drinking water. ‘Water itself has been poisoned’ Discussing the issue with senior leaders, Rahul Gandhi said the struggle for clean water must be taken seriously. “Here, the water itself has been poisoned. This goes against the image of Indore as a clean city,” he said, adding that he would raise the matter in the Lok Sabha. Rahul flags three major issues in Madhya Pradesh Rahul Gandhi highlighted three major public health concerns in the state: