Bhopal/Indore, Jan 12 Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari, on Monday, claimed that 23 people died due to consumption of contaminated water in Indore's Bhagirathpura while the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was yet to fix the accountability of any senior official or a local leader into the matter.
He said that Mohan Yadav should act as a Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and take action against the officials and the BJP leaders whose negligence caused the death of 23 people and more than hundreds suffered from multiple diseases.
Patwari claimed that whatever action so far taken, was to cover up the horrific incident in Bhagirathpura.
"It is shocking that 23 people died due to contaminated water supplied by BJP-led Indore Municipal Corporation and the state government was yet to fix the accountability. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav should show the power of a Chief Minister and order for an FIR against the Indore Mayor," he said while addressing a press conference at the Congress office in Bhopal on Monday.
The Madhya Pradesh government, however, in a status report submitted to the Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court has mentioned only four deaths on January 2, and the further update regarding the number of casualties will be known after a fresh status report will be submitted during the next hearing in the matter on January 15.
However, the state government had provided the financial compensation to the families of the 18 victims who died after the diarrhoea outbreak reported in Bhagirathpura due to consumption of contaminated drinking water supplied by the city's civic body.
Reminding other tragic incidents in the past few years, including 36 people who died in a well in Indore in March 2023, and the Coldrif cough syrup incident that killed as many as 26 children in Chhindwara last year, Congress leader Patwari said the BJP-led state government never ever fixed responsibility concerning any senior official or its Minister.
" Twenty-six children died due to the cough syrup tragedy but the State Health Minister (Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla) is still in the Cabinet. Similarly, 36 people died in a well in Indore's Khajrana area, but no senior official was held accountable for this incident as well. Now, Bhagirathpura is another example where the state government is failing to take action," he claimed.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Patwari also attacked veteran BJP leader and the state's Urban Affair Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, calling him a 'dictator'.
"I know that Kailash Vijayvargiya is a dictator, who never believes in democracy. I would request him to resign from the Cabinet on moral grounds," Patwari said.
Bhagirathpura, which has been in the spotlight following several deaths linked to the vomiting and diarrhoea outbreak since the last week of December, falls under the Indore-1 Assembly constituency, which BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya represents.
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