Indore

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will on Saturday meet families and patients affected by the vomiting and diarrhoea outbreak linked to water contamination in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, the party said on Friday.

State Congress president Jitu Patwari claimed 24 people have died after consuming contaminated water in the city's Bhagirathpura area, and eight to 10 patients are in a critical condition. The state government, however, has put the toll in the tragedy at seven, including a five-month-old infant.

Gandhi will arrive in Indore on Saturday and meet affected persons undergoing treatment at Bombay Hospital, a private facility, he told reporters. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha would also visit Bhagirathpura and meet affected families to express condolences, he said.

Patwari said that the Congress wanted to organise a conference in Gandhi's presence to discuss solutions to the contaminated drinking water problem, involving intellectuals, environmentalists and municipal councillors from across the state, but the administration denied permission.

"Hence, we will organise this conference at a later date," Patwari said.

He further claimed that 70 per cent of water supplied in the state was contaminated and not potable, and described polluted water as "slow poison" that was causing serious damage to kidneys and other organs.

Targeting the ruling BJP, Patwari alleged, "Despite several deaths due to contaminated drinking water in Indore, state ministers are busy with grand events and are abusing us, asking why we are raising questions about this incident."

Residents of Bhagirathpura have claimed that 24 people have died so far in the vomiting and diarrhoea outbreak that broke out in the locality last month.

The state government submitted a status report before the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday, in which it stated that seven people, including a five-month-old infant, died in the outbreak.

Meanwhile, a 'death audit' report by a committee of the government-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College indicated that the deaths of 15 people in Bhagirathpura could be linked in some manner to the outbreak.

Queried about Gandhi's visit by the media, former Lok Sabha speaker and senior BJP leader Sumitra Mahajan said the opposition should perform its role with full might in a democracy.

"The opposition should do its work with full force in a democracy. Let him (Gandhi) come. If he gives some good suggestions, the concerned people should consider them," Mahajan said.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said her party had also been in the opposition in the past and had won people's trust by fighting for public causes with full strength.

Incidentally, a day ahead of Gandhi's arrival in Indore, Mahajan met Jitu Patwari at her residence, where the two leaders discussed the diarrhoea outbreak in Bhagirathpura.

"During the meeting, Patwari told me everyone should work together to find a solution to the problem of contaminated drinking water in the city. I also believe this issue should be resolved by rising above party politics. Suggestions from technical experts should also be sought," she said.

Speaking on the Viksit Bharat- G RAM G Act, Mahajan called the Congress' opposition to it as "meaningless".

"This law is being referred to in short as Ji Ram Ji. When we run the rural employment guarantee scheme, everyone will remember Ram. This is a good thing," she said.

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Mahajan also gave a measured response to allegations that statues of former Holkar ruler of Indore Devi Ahilyabai were damaged during redevelopment work at the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi.

"Although I do not know which statues were damaged at the ghat, it is equally important for the government to pursue development while preserving historical heritage. In any case, the Varanasi administration has already clarified the situation and said facilities for the public are being enhanced at Manikarnika Ghat," she asserted.