Indore-Depalpur pair ranked second in Swachh Survekshan; Congress, BJP city chiefs trade barbs

Politics in Indore has heated up after the Indore-Depalpur pair was placed second in the Swachh Survekshan results. City Congress president Chintu Chauksey called Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava "panauti" (a jinx) for Indore. In reply, BJP city president Sumit Mishra targeted Chauksey and called Rahul Gandhi "panauti".

Chauksey alleged that during the mayor's tenure Indore lost the pride of cleanliness it had won through years of effort. According to him, when Bhargava was elected mayor, Indore was known across the country as the capital of cleanliness. The city had made a distinct identity in this field, he said, but the identity has been damaged in the present tenure. Chauksey said that in the Swachh Shehar Jodi awards too, the Indore-Depalpur pair has finished second.

The Congress president called the municipal corporation a den of corruption. He alleged that the corporation became so during the mayor's tenure and that the interests of sanitation workers (safai mitras) were repeatedly ignored. Chauksey said that when the Congress was in power in the state, sanitation workers were given an incentive of Rs 10,000 each for Indore's success in cleanliness. According to him, the BJP government and the municipal council have so far not given sanitation workers even a rupee as incentive.

Chauksey said Indore was an example for the whole country and still is, but "we have lost our excellence". He said the mayor should apologise to the people of Indore instead of patting his own back by lying. He also said the cleanliness campaign should be started once again with new strength.

BJP city president Sumit Mishra hit back at Chauksey's statement. Mishra said Chintu Chauksey is himself a councillor and should be ashamed, as he too is part of the council. He said: "It is like saying, how will someone who does not call his own father father call the neighbour uncle."

Mishra claimed Indore was number one in cleanliness, is and will remain so. He said many development works are under way in the city under the mayor's leadership and that the Congress has been losing continuously. He told Chauksey to first remove Rahul Gandhi, the national leader of his own Congress, because he is the biggest "panauti".