Toxic water to Aravalli, 4 BJP CMs in the dock over a crisis each—public ire with flak from within party

Many within BJP are questioning their own govts, infighting being a major issue for the party in these states. Some leaders say the CMs are hobbled by their lack of autonomy.

Illustration: Deepakshi Sharma/ThePrint

New Delhi: For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the new year seems to have arrived with some trouble. Four of the party’s chief ministers—in Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Delhi—are facing heat both from the public and within the party over their management of a range of governance issues.

From water contamination in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, and protests over the murder of Ankita Bhandari in Uttarakhand, to toxic smog choking the national capital, and illegal mining in Rajasthan, the chief ministers have been struggling to contain the crises in their respective states.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav is facing the public’s ire over the deaths due to toxic water in Indore’s Bhagirathpura. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has been under pressure over the government’s inability to combat air pollution since the onset of winter.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has been unable to douse public anger over the Ankita Bhandari case, with Opposition questioning the law-and-order situation.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, who has in the past faced criticism from within the party and government, has also come under fire over the Aravalli mining issue amid allegations that the government has failed to curb illegal mining.

Many within the BJP have also begun questioning their own governments. For instance, former chief minister and senior BJP leader Uma Bharti hit out at the Mohan Yadav-led Madhya Pradesh government over its failure to address the contaminated water deaths in Indore.

In Uttarakhand, a number of BJP leaders, including a former minister, have openly demanded a CBI probe into the Ankita Bhandari case, while a few party functionaries have even resigned.

Some party leaders said the chief ministers have been hobbled by their lack of autonomy.

“One of the issues being flagged by the local leadership is that bureaucrats are simply not paying attention to them as they are getting directions directly from the Centre; all decisions are taken there. In such a situation, even elected representatives have very little control,” a senior BJP leader told ThePrint.

“These chief ministers are CMs because of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and they don’t have much power. Everything is being done and monitored by the Centre. The BJP has experimented with a new lot of CMs and how they will fare is something that we will be able to evaluate only after a few years,” said another senior party leader.

One leader blames multiple power centres for the problems. “There are too many power centres in these states and that too has become a cause of concern, which is often resulting in work getting affected,” the leader said.

Infighting within party

Infighting is another major issue that the BJP is grappling with in these states.

The Delhi government, for instance, didn’t just come under attack from the Opposition over the pollution, but also from within the party.

The Winter Session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly began on a stormy note with the Opposition voicing concern over air pollution and other environmental issues.

On Monday, Opposition MLAs, led by Leader of Opposition Atishi, arrived at the assembly wearing gas masks to underline the seriousness of the worsening pollution, and protest against the inability of the government to tackle the problem.

Delhi has been reeling under severe pollution, with AQI levels persisting above the 400-mark for days.

But many BJP members also highlighted that despite a ‘double-engine’ government, resolving governance-related issues remained a challenge.

“Double-engine government has been a major slogan during our elections and now the public asks us what is stopping use from addressing the issue in Delhi, considering we have a BJP government at the state level as well as the Centre,” said a senior Delhi BJP leader.

However, there are other party leaders who have defended the Delhi government.

“The Delhi government, under the leadership of Rekha Gupta, has been working tirelessly and efforts are being made to combat air pollution, but it is not something where results will be visible immediately. The Opposition has nothing else to raise, and hence has been criticising the government. During their own tenure, they did nothing,” said a senior BJP leader.

Some party members also raised concerns over the Bhajan Lal Sharma government’s handling of the Aravalli case, which has given ammunition to the Opposition.

“Though there are clear-cut guidelines as well as penalties, the situation in Rajasthan, as far as illegal mining is concerned, remains grim. It is no longer just an environmental concern but impacts local health too,” said a senior BJP leader.

The Congress has accused the Bhajan Lal Sharma government of colluding with the mining mafia by tweaking the Aravalli hill definition to unlock vast stretches for extraction.

“The reality is that whether it is Delhi, where people are forced to breathe toxic air or whether it is Madhya Pradesh, where people are dying because of polluted, contaminated water, or whether it is Uttarakhand, where perpetrators of crime against Ankita Bhandari have not faced the law and people are out on the streets, or whether it is handing over the Aravallis to a select few in Rajasthan, every chief minister is in the dock,” said Supriya Shrinate, senior Congress leader and chairperson of the party’s social media and digital platforms.

“Even as people are raising their voice, have you heard a word from India’s health minister? Have you heard a word from India’s prime minister?” she asked.

In Uttarakhand, too, where elections are scheduled for 2027, voices are rising from within the BJP demanding strict action in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, with new allegations triggering a political controversy in the state.

Public protests have reignited over the 2022 murder case, with the opposition demanding action from the Pushkar Dhami-led government, especially over alleged evidence tampering and ‘VIP protection’.

“Dhami has positioned himself as a leader who has spoken about ‘zero tolerance’, especially over law and order, and the way things have unfolded, where BJP leaders themselves are questioning their own government, has left the party embarrassed. The government and the party need to handle this case more sensitively as the Opposition has been actively raising it,” said a party functionary.

Senior BJP leader and national spokesperson, R.P. Singh, defended the chief ministers, saying that the Opposition was playing deliberate politics.

“Some unfortunate incidents have occurred. But the Opposition, especially the Congress, is always looking for opportunities and is using it for its benefit. In the case of the Aravallis, the Rajasthan government has said clearly that it will not allow any illegal mining, and the government has also accepted the latest court order,” said Singh.

“In the Ankita Bhandari case, all arrests have been made, and all action has been taken. The person who made the allegation on social media has now gone missing. If anyone has any proof, then they should go to the police or court rather than only using social media.”

He added: “In Madhya Pradesh, it is an unfortunate incident, and heads have rolled. But this can happen anywhere in the country, but we have to ensure we build a robust system and use tech for a new system of water supplies.”

(Edited by Sugita Katyal)