Indore: Native BJP leaders in Indore have been complaining for months that district officers are bypassing them and taking orders straight from Bhopal, leaving elected representatives sidelined throughout important conditions. The sample, which senior get together figures say has persevered for a while, got here into focus throughout the Bhagirathpura water contamination disaster—an emergency that they are saying uncovered structural stress throughout the Madhya Pradesh BJP.

State minister and BJP’s Indore MLA Kailash Vijayvargiya had flagged the problem even earlier than the water contamination disaster unfolded. “Officers would intimidate us by taking your identify,” he reportedly advised CM Mohan Yadav throughout a evaluate assembly in December 2025.

However this twin position involving the chief minister, get together insiders say, encourages authorities to prioritise instructions from Bhopal as a substitute of native management.

Native councillors mentioned they complained to civic officers about contaminated water being equipped in Bhagirathpura, weeks earlier than it killed 10 individuals and despatched tons of of others to the hospital.

“We had been complaining in regards to the challenge (water contamination) for months however the officers right here don’t take our calls or reply to our complaints,” Kamal Waghela, a BJP councillor, advised ThePrint final week. In accordance with Indore BJP leaders, seniors, together with the chief minister, have been straight concerned in steering the get together’s response to the water disaster.

“Each month, Mohan Yadav involves Indore as he’s the prabhari mantri. Now, these native leaders have change into the scapegoat however somebody ought to ask why these officers weren’t listening to the Indore leaders. Possibly they’re listening to Bhopal,” mentioned a supply in Indore BJP.

The supply added, “This incident is a severe lapse in administration. There ought to have been preventive motion as quickly as complaints began coming in. Lack of life is unacceptable.”

In response to the Bhagirathpura scenario, Vijayvargiya was referred to as to Delhi for consultations with the central management. In accordance with get together sources, the assembly was geared toward streamlining the get together’s public messaging on the disaster and guaranteeing that statements by leaders align with the federal government’s official place.

Vijayvargiya later returned to Indore, the place he met native leaders and officers, signalling tighter political oversight of the scenario.

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Additionally Learn: Amid water disaster, households in Bhagirathpura’s slender lanes are hit the toughest—’no amenities attain us’

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Opposition steps up assault

The episode has fuelled Opposition assaults on BJP’s “triple-engine” governance narrative used to confer with the get together’s management of governments on the Centre and in Madhya Pradesh, and the Indore civic physique.

Seizing on the complaints by native leaders, Congress spokesperson Harsh Jain demanded that BJP leaders should face motion.

“The BJP leaders are blaming the officers and saying the officers aren’t listening to them, not selecting up their calls regardless of having a ‘triple-engine’ authorities within the state. Then, (alongside) with officers, they (BJP leaders) also needs to get suspended,” mentioned Jain.

Motion has been taken towards six senior civic officers after the Bhagirathpura water contamination disaster. This contains removing of Indore Municipal Commissioner Dilip Kumar Yadav and suspension of Further Commissioner Rohit Sisoniya together with others.

On 4 January, a gaggle of Congress staff got here to Bhagirathpura to fulfill the affected households however have been stopped by BJP staff and proven black flags.

“We have been simply attempting to fulfill the members of the family there however BJP created a scene and stopped us. We are able to go to the households, proper? However they wished to create the scene,” mentioned a Congress employee who was a part of the group.

However a BJP employee mentioned the Congress got here to the bottom to do politics. “They aren’t from right here. They’re outsiders. They only wished to disturb the peace,” the BJP employee mentioned.

Residents in Bhagirathpura mentioned political consideration from the disaster had tapered at the same time as 120 residents of the economic colony have been nonetheless being handled at hospitals. Many mentioned the disaster had become a blame recreation between events, with little readability on who was in the end answerable for stopping the tragedy.

“Each the events are doing politics, the identify of our space is getting ruined. Nobody helps the households however they’ve come right here for their very own advantages,” mentioned Manoj, a Bhagirathpura resident.

Congress PCC chief Jeetu Patwari held a press convention final week and mentioned what occurred in Indore was not negligence however a failure of the system.

“Indore was as soon as identified throughout the nation for cleanliness; at the moment it’s being mentioned due to deaths in Bhagirathpura. This isn’t simply negligence, it’s a failure of the system. The Congress will maintain conferences in each ward, work together with individuals, pay tribute to the deceased and expose the failures of the municipal company,” mentioned Patwari.

“I urge residents — no matter ideology — to strengthen the opposition when corruption enters their houses. We are going to fulfil our accountability because the Opposition and demand a statewide audit of water storage and provide programs,” he added.

(Edited by Prerna Madan)

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Additionally Learn: ‘Nobody to select me up if I die’: Indore’s Bhagirathpura battles water disaster, illnesses, system breakdown

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