Bhopal, Jan 10 (NationPress) The Congress party in Madhya Pradesh vehemently condemned the BJP government on Saturday. A press conference was conducted at the Rajiv Gandhi Auditorium located within the State Congress Office in Bhopal. Key figures such as former Minister PC Sharma, Bhopal City District Congress Committee President Praveen Saxena, and State Spokesperson Rahul Raj spoke to the press.

Praveen Saxena characterized the Bhagirathpura incident as “government-sponsored murders”. He attributed the tragedy to severe negligence and a failure in administration by the BJP, claiming that twenty individuals lost their lives and over one thousand residents fell ill due to contaminated water.

In response, the Madhya Pradesh Congress plans to stage a statewide Nyay Yatra (march for justice) on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at 11 a.m. The march will commence from the Bada Ganpati Temple and make its way to Rajwada Chowk near the statue of Maa Ahilyabai Holkar in Indore, as stated by Saxena. Senior leaders, elected officials, party members, and numerous ordinary citizens are expected to participate.

The Congress leaders outlined their primary demands, which include the immediate dismissal of the Indore mayor, the resignation of Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya due to his insensitive remarks to the media, and an increase in compensation for the families of the deceased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 1 crore. They have also called for a judicial inquiry into the situation and the filing of culpable homicide charges against those accountable. The leaders vowed to continue their fight from the streets to Parliament until justice is achieved for the victims.

PC Sharma directed his criticisms towards the ruling BJP and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, stating that Madhya Pradesh is already burdened with a debt of Rs 4 lakh crore from Chouhan’s administration. He further criticized the new 60:40 MNREGA expenditure ratio, warning that it would impose an additional annual burden of Rs 5,000 crore on the state. He noted that 90.5 percent of active MNREGA workers are pending e-KYC verification, the highest rate in the country, and described these policies as anti-labor, claiming that the poor are being systematically deprived of their rights.

The Congress party is firmly opposed to this legislation and demands its immediate retraction by the Modi government. The campaign to Save MNREGA will intensify from every panchayat to the streets.

Rahul Raj accused Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of masterminding the transition from MNREGA to the new act, labeling it a direct assault on the right to work for the impoverished and a “murder of Gandhi’s ideals of Gram Swaraj”. He stated that the new law would add an annual burden of Rs 5,000 crore to the state’s existing debt of Rs 4.5 lakh crore. He criticized the provision for a work suspension of 60 days during the harvest season, suggesting it is a conspiracy to drive laborers towards migration and exploitative wages.

He raised concerns about potential delays in wages for MNREGA workers, comparing it to the issues with crop insurance payments. Rahul Raj accused Shivraj Singh Chouhan of professing values while acting against the interests of laborers and farmers.