In a blistering attack on the Madhya Pradesh government, the Congress party has zeroed in on two pressing failures: the devastating water tragedy in Indore and controversial tweaks to the MGNREGA scheme. Party leaders accuse Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s administration of gross negligence that has left citizens high and dry.
The Indore water crisis erupted when a major pipeline burst, flooding streets with contaminated water and disrupting supply to thousands of households. Residents waded through knee-deep muck for days, with many falling sick from waterborne diseases. Congress spokesperson Rakesh Singh demanded immediate accountability, questioning why repair work took so long despite repeated warnings.
Adding fuel to the fire, recent changes to MGNREGA have rural workers up in arms. The government slashed work days and introduced stringent eligibility rules, critics say, to push an agenda of forced migration to cities. ‘This is a direct assault on the poor,’ thundered Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in a recent rally, vowing to fight these dilutions in court and on the streets.
Opposition leaders point to mismanaged funds and corruption as root causes. They allege that contracts for Indore’s water infrastructure went to cronies, leading to substandard materials that failed prematurely. In villages, MGNREGA payments are delayed by months, forcing laborers into debt traps.
As protests swell across the state, Congress has called for a special assembly session to debate these issues. With by-elections looming, the party smells blood, positioning itself as the champion of the aggrieved. The BJP government, meanwhile, defends its MGNREGA reforms as efficiency measures and blames the Indore fiasco on ‘unforeseen technical glitches.’ But public anger simmers, demanding real solutions over excuses.