Death of tribal children in Balaghat: Rahul Gandhi calls Madhya Pradesh government India's most corrupt, incompetent

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Rahul Gandhi. File | Photo Credit: ANI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday (September 17, 2026) launched a blistering attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Madhya Pradesh over the death of more than 30 tribal children due to various diseases in Balaghat district, claiming that the State government is India's most corrupt and incompetent.

Mr. Gandhi also slammed Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and said if he finds time after lighting lamps and holding celebrations, he must take a look at the ground reality in the State.

"In Balaghat, more than 30 tribal children have died amid illness, malnutrition and a lack of basic health facilities. The extent of the callousness is such that innocent lives kept slipping away, yet the response remained sluggish, and the government kept sleeping," the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said in a post in Hindi on X.

"Chief Minister ji, if you've found time after lighting lamps and holding celebrations, take a look at the ground reality in the State," he wrote. Lack of disease control, nutrition and clean water, along with a crumbling health system, is claiming the lives of children, he alleged. Adulterated medicines and poisonous illegal liquor are devastating hundreds of families, Mr. Gandhi added.

"I am heading to Indore and I am continuously gathering feedback from students, youth and common people across the State. The horrific incidents coming to light are revealing that Madhya Pradesh's education system is today the most ruined in the entire country," he said.

Students, children, the poor, Dalits, tribals, backward classes or women — every section is being tormented and no one is happy, the Congress leader claimed. "The Madhya Pradesh government is today India's most corrupt and most incompetent government - that is the truth," Mr. Gandhi said.

Later, in a post on his WhatsApp channel, Mr. Gandhi claimed that Madhya Pradesh is the RSS-BJP's laboratory, where an experiment to increase illiteracy and unemployment is under way.

"I am coming to Indore - to expose this experiment, explain this game of stealing the future, and unveil the truth. We will not allow anyone to play with students' lives under any circumstances. We are determined to secure the right to education and employment," Mr. Gandhi said, referring to his Chhatron Ki Goonj programme on Saturday.

The Congress on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) had demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla over the death of tribal children in Balaghat.

Last week, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had sought a response from the State government over the deaths while hearing a PIL. The petition alleged inadequate treatment and claimed that around 400 children were being treated at a hospital with a capacity of 50 beds.

It also alleged that yellow-coloured water was coming out of handpumps in the affected areas and that children and women had not received nutritious food on time for several months.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.