New Delhi [India], September 10: Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday targeted the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government over the deaths of 31 people allegedly due to consumption of spurious liquor in Sagar district, alleging that the state government had failed to value human lives and take accountability.
In a post on X, Kharge said, "The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has reached the peak of corruption. The state of apathy and negligence is such that now even human lives have no value left. In Sagar district, 31 people have lost their lives to poisonous liquor. 11 people are still fighting between life and death."
https://x.com/kharge/status/2097940704362467626?s=20
"31 families have been shattered - for some, a son is gone; for some, a father; for some, a husband. But for the BJP government, this too is just another 'accident'. Because this has been the BJP government's way for the past 22 years," he added.
Kharge further alleged that several incidents of deaths due to contaminated liquor, water and medicines in Madhya Pradesh reflected "failure of governance" and claimed that the government had avoided accountability.
"In Balaghat, more than 27 children died, and the High Court had to reprimand the government because the BJP's incompetent administration was still waiting for a survey report even after a month had passed.   In Indore, contaminated water claimed 36 lives.   25 children died from poisonous cough syrup.  In Sidhi, 53 women died in childbirth in a single year. Whether the poison is in liquor, water, or medicine, every time the people of Madhya Pradesh are paying the price with their lives. And the double-engine government seems to flee from accountability at twice the speed. When the public demands justice, the response is water cannons and tear gas. Be it the central government or BJP's state governments, no one takes responsibility, and no one gets punished," he said.
Kharge's remarks came after the tragedy was reported from the Banda area of Sagar district, after several people allegedly fell ill following consumption of spurious liquor. The administration has been monitoring patients and conducting screening and awareness activities in the affected villages.
Meanwhile, police have intensified their action against those allegedly involved in the supply and distribution of the spurious liquor.
Sagar Superintendent of Police Anurag Sujania said that 16 of the 30 accused named in the case have so far been arrested and sent to jail, while efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining accused.
“Out of the 30 accused, 16 have been arrested and sent to jail. The search for the remaining accused is continuing,” Sujania said.
The incident has prompted a wider investigation into the suspected illegal liquor supply network in the region. Police have been tracing the source and distribution chain of the liquor allegedly consumed by the victims.