Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (LoP) Rahul Gandhi trained guns at the Madhya Pradesh government over the water contamination-related deaths in Indore, stating that poison was being
distributed instead of water, and the administration kept sleeping like “Kumbhkarna”.
Gandhi’s remark comes amid a water contamination crisis in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, which has so far claimed 10 lives and left over 1,400 people affected, according to the officials.
In a detailed post on ‘X’, Rahul Gandhi said, “There was no water in Indore — poison was distributed instead, while the administration slept like Kumbhakarna. Homes are steeped in mourning, the poor are helpless, and on top of that come arrogant statements from BJP leaders. Those whose hearths have gone cold needed consolation; the government served them arrogance instead”.
इंदौर में पानी नहीं, ज़हर बंटा और प्रशासन कुंभकर्णी नींद में रहा।
घर-घर मातम है, गरीब बेबस हैं – और ऊपर से BJP नेताओं के अहंकारी बयान। जिनके घरों में चूल्हा बुझा है, उन्हें सांत्वना चाहिए थी; सरकार ने घमंड परोस दिया।
लोगों ने बार-बार गंदे, बदबूदार पानी की शिकायत की – फिर भी…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 2, 2026
The Congress MP also questioned the inaction over complaints about filthy and foul-smelling water by the residents. “How did sewage mix into the drinking water? Why wasn’t the supply shut off in time? When will action be taken against the responsible officers and leaders?” Rahul Gandhi asked.
According to officials, a leakage was found in the main drinking water supply pipeline in Bhagirathpura, at a spot over which a toilet has been constructed. The leakage caused the sewage to mix with the drinking water, leading to contamination, said the officials.
Gandhi lashes out at Vijayvargiya
In a veiled dig at BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, Rahul Gandhi emphasised that these are not “useless” questions; rather, “they are a demand for accountability.”
Earlier, as a reporter questioned Viajyvargiya about the deaths in Indore, he went seemingly annoyed and asked him to refrain from what he described as “useless questions”.
The BJP leader, however, later apologised for his behaviour and the use of some objectionable words, assuring that he and his team have been working to improve the situation in the affected areas.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing the recent instances of death over contaminated cough syrup and reports of newborns dying after being bitten by rats.
“Madhya Pradesh has now become the epicentre of misgovernance — deaths from cough syrup in one place, rats killing children in a government hospital in another, and now deaths from drinking sewage-mixed water. And every time the poor die, Modi ji, as always, remains silent,” he added.
