INDORE: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi arrived in Indore on Saturday and met the families of those who lost their lives allegedly due to the water contamination crisis in the city.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha, also visited the Bombay Hospital in Indore to meet the victims of water contamination undergoing treatment and their families.
The Congress leader's visit is aimed at expressing solidarity with the affected families and understanding the situation on the ground. Gandhi also visited the Bhagirathpura locality to meet the affected families of the water contamination incident.
Congress shared a post on X and wrote, "Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, has arrived in Indore. Here, he will meet with people who fell ill due to contaminated water and the affected families in Bhagirathpura locality."
Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari today slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state for engaging in the politics of "blame and counter-blame".
Speaking to ANI, he said if the BJP, which has ruled Madhya Pradesh for over 20 years, can't understand the pain of those who lost their loved ones, Rahul Gandhi would.
"24-25 people have died due to poisonous water in Indore. The government of Madhya Pradesh, the cabinet of Madhya Pradesh, and our Chief Minister--they are engaged in the politics of blame and counter-blame. There has been BJP rule in the state for over 20 years, around 25 years of BJP-led Municipal Corporation in Indore city, and over 30 years of BJP MP ruling over the Indore constituency. But failed to provide pure (clean) drinking water, and loss of lives occurred here. If these people (BJP) cannot understand that pain, Rahul Gandhi will," Patwari said.
"In PM Narendra Modi's New India, where people cannot even be provided drinking water, there should be questions raised across the country," he added.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh LoP Umang Singhar said that Rahul Gandhi was visiting Indore to understand the incident at the grassroots level and the reasons behind it while extending solidarity to the affected families.
"The purpose of coming to Indore is to express solidarity with the families of the victims of the incident that occurred here and, together with them, to understand at the grassroots level what the reasons behind this incident are- Rahul Gandhi wants to comprehend this. Undoubtedly, this incident is a stain on Indore. The Constitution grants us the right to clean water; it is the municipal corporation's responsibility, but why is it not being provided? It is regarding all these issues that Rahul Gandhi's visit is taking place," Singhar told ANI.
He added that Congress would demand justice and solutions to ensure that Indore receives clean air and clean drinking water on the occasion.
The water contamination incident in Indore's Bhagirathpura has sparked widespread criticism, as it claimed several lives and affected many families.
Earlier, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had announced Rs 2 lakh financial assistance to the families of the deceased and free treatment to all the affected people.