New Delhi: Just two days after Madhya Pradesh voted in a relatively peaceful Assembly election, disturbing reports have emerged from the state's Ashoknagar district - that rural women are being denied water from government-built bore-wells unless they take oaths that they voted for the ruling BJP.
The reports have come from Nayakheda village in the Mungawali Assembly constituency, which is held (till results are declared December 3) by state minister Brijendra Singh Yadav. Mr Yadav told NDTV on the phone, "I don't understand why such a thing is happening after the election."
"This is a government bore-well. I had got four bores done in the village. We got bores done to provide water to everyone," Mr Yadav, who is the Public Health Engineering Minister, said.
However, several of the residents seem to disagree.
"They are asking the villagers... whether they voted for the BJP or not. If we say 'no', then they switch off the motor and drive us away," Shyam Bai complained.
Another resident, a young girl, said that after voting had concluded "they have completely stopped running the bore", and that when it is switched on, usually at night, "we don't even know..."
Other residents have made similar complaints but did not name the BJP. They said they were told if they did not vote for "the flower" (the BJP's symbol is a lotus), they would not be given water.
The opposition Congress has lashed out at Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's government.
Party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared a news clipping on this story, posting, "Hidden in the noise of fake claims and lies of BJP's double-engine..."
"See the height of BJP's cruelty - they are bent upon killing those who do not vote without water!"
"After 18-and-a-half years, BJP, which has crossed all limits of misdeeds, is still not satisfied! The people of Madhya Pradesh have given their answer to corruption, misgovernance and atrocities!"
Madhya Pradesh voted in a single phase on November 17 and the battle for the state is widely seen as a straight fight between the BJP and the Congress, which was in power after the 2018 election till a rebellion led by Jyotiraditya Scindia (now Union Aviation Minister) brought down its government.
The results of the election will be declared on December 3.
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