Cong insulting Indore's people, sanitation workers over 'single incident': Vijayvargiya

Indore, Jan 14 (PTI) Amid water tragedy-linked deaths, Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Wednesday accused the Congress of insulting Indore's residents and sanitation workers by raising baseless questions about its top ranking in cleanliness survey over a "single incident".

In 2025, Indore bagged the cleanest city of India title for the eighth time in a row, but the administration in Madhya Pradesh's commercial capital is facing criticism since December-end due to deaths of people after drinking contaminated water.

The city's Bhagirathpura area, the epicentre of vomiting and diarrhoea outbreak caused by contaminated drinking water, falls in Vijayvargiya's assembly constituency, Indore-1.

Since the healthcare crisis, the BJP minister, who faced widespread flak for using a Hindi slang while replying to a media query related to the water tragedy, has been under intense attack from the Congress.

State Urban Development and Housing Minister Vijayvargiya, during an event in Indore, hit back at the main Opposition party, saying, "You are defaming the people of Indore and mocking the city's sanitation workers over a single incident." He pointed out sanitation workers operate even at wee hours to keep the city clean.

"Can your mother, sister, and daughter leave their homes at 2 am to clean the streets? These are the sanitation workers of Indore who send their women to clean the city even at 2 o'clock in the night," the BJP minister said, targeting the Congress.

After the tragedy in Bhagirathpura, Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Umang Singhar claimed government officials had presented bogus documents to secure Indore a series of cleanliness awards.

Vijayvargiya, without naming Singhar, said Congress leaders should be ashamed of themselves for claiming that bogus documents were presented to make Indore secure the top spot in the National Sanitation Survey.

"Saying such things is an insult to the people of Indore. These shameless people should apologise to the city's sanitation workers and its residents," he demanded.

Vijayvargiya stressed that Indore was, is, and will always be "No. 1" in terms of cleanliness.

The Cabinet Minister challenged Congress leaders to a debate on any platform, asking them to explain what work they have done for the city's welfare during their political careers.

Taking further aim at the Congress, Vijayvargiya said, "There's an old saying that the cat's luck has changed. In this situation, it's Diwali for the cat. The cat may have had Diwali, but we promise you that we won't let the city's pride and dignity be lost." The local administration has officially confirmed six deaths so far in Bhagirathpura due to vomiting and diarrhoea caused by drinking contaminated water. However, local residents have claimed 23 patients, including a six-month-old child, have died in the outbreak.

Amidst conflicting claims about the toll, a 'death audit' report conducted by a committee from the government-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College in the city indicated that the deaths of 15 people in Bhagirathpura may be somehow linked to the vomiting and diarrhoea outbreak. PTI HWP MAS RSY