New Delhi: Against the backdrop of Indore’s water contamination crisis, a controversy has broken out over its mayor and district magistrate visiting the RSS office Wednesday night, with the opposition questioning whether the Indore administration was now accountable to the Sangh or the public.
“In Indore, the BJP government and the administration are not running a government, but a circus,” said Congress state president Jitu Patwari, speaking to media persons. “In Indore, 20 people have died due to poisonous water, and despite this, the mayor and collector of Indore went to a meeting at the RSS office late at night. Will the officials of Indore now work for the RSS, instead of the government?”
Patwari’s statement came hours after visuals of the visit of Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav and Collector Shivam Verma to the RSS office went viral on social media.
Officials in Indore say four people have died in Indore after drinking contaminated water, but families allege the toll is higher, roughly 13, while hundreds have fallen ill and been hospitalised.
“When Indore’s taps are overflowing with poison, when there is mourning in homes over the deaths of innocent citizens, when the government has failed, should the collector’s place be in the field? In hospitals? Among the affected families? Or, in the RSS office?” Jitu Patwari questioned.
“In the midst of deaths from contaminated water in Bhagirathpura, the Indore collector and mayor reaching the RSS office at midnight is not a case of any ‘casual meeting’; it is a tale of severing the nose of administrative impartiality,” he added.
RSS sources confirmed to ThePrint that RSS functionaries held a meeting with the collector and mayor, clarifying that it was related to 286 Hindu ‘sammelans’ scheduled to take place Sunday in Indore. The participation of more than 15–20 lakh people is expected.
“To ensure that everything is smooth and there is proper coordination, a meeting was held. This is not the first time that such a meeting has taken place. One should not see it from the lens of politics,” said an RSS functionary, pointing out that organisations—religious, social, or otherwise— have been conducting these events to mark the centenary year of the RSS.
However, sources in the BJP said that the Indore water contamination issue and its overall handling had also been discussed in the meeting.
Speaking to ThePrint, BJP Madhya Pradesh spokesperson Durgesh Keswani said such meetings had taken place in the past, calling the BJP and RSS ‘Rashtra bhakt sangathans’.
“We all sit together and discuss issues. We deliberate upon issues related to people. Considering the DM is responsible for the city, he was also there, naturally. The RSS doesn’t interfere in government work, but it worries about the state, as well as Indore city. At the same time, we are a free country, and anyone can go anywhere,” Keswani told ThePrint.
The Madhya Pradesh Congress, however, said that it appeared as if constitutional positions had become centres for following RSS orders.
“Meetings happen in closed rooms, the mayor also gets scolded, the collector is taught how to be a collector; then it becomes clear that under @BJP4MP rule, the administration is no longer independent, the helpless public is the last priority, and the worthless power bows before the organisation!” Patwari posted on his social media page on X.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera mounted an attack on the BJP government, saying, “We do not accept the Sangh or RSS. Don’t summon the officers; they are not your puppets. Show courage and summon the PM and ministers.”
Sources said the mayor was at the receiving end of criticism during the meeting, especially over delays and not being able to address the situation on the ground swiftly and effectively.
“The mayor was told to address the issue immediately and promptly. They also emphasised greater coordination with people to ensure that concerns are addressed,” said a source.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)