Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday reached Madhya Pradesh's tribal-dominated Balaghat district to meet the families of children who have died over the past few months amid a health crisis in the region's tribal belt.
Gandhi travelled by road from Gondia in neighbouring Maharashtra and visited Jagla village in Baihar tehsil, the MP Congress said, claiming that no politician — not even Chief Minister Mohan Yadav — had visited the village since the deaths were reported. Over 30 children, mostly from the Baiga tribe, have died in the Birsa block, about 85 km from the district headquarters, according to opposition claims and PTI reporting.
"I am coming to Balaghat today. To meet those tribal families who have lost their innocent children due to illness and the neglect of the BJP government," Gandhi posted on X in Hindi. "By spending time with them, I want to tell them that they are not alone in this grief — I am with them." Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh said Gandhi had been consistently raising the issue and was visiting to meet the affected families and demand justice, alleging that tribals become "invisible" to BJP governments once their land and resources are taken.
The cause of the deaths remains contested. Government figures put the toll at 20, while a central National Joint Outbreak Response Team investigated 196 cases and found multiple contributing factors — 25 of 64 samples tested positive for measles and 27 of 32 patients tested positive for malaria — rather than a single disease. The Madhya Pradesh High Court is hearing a public interest petition on the deaths, and the state government says it has posted 67 new medical officers in Balaghat, approved ₹2 crore for health facilities, and directed the setting up of new primary health centres and mobile medical units.
Sources: New Indian Express, Telegraph India, Deccan Chronicle
Gandhi travelled by road from Gondia in neighbouring Maharashtra and visited Jagla village in Baihar tehsil, the MP Congress said, claiming that no politician — not even Chief Minister Mohan Yadav — had visited the village since the deaths were reported. Over 30 children, mostly from the Baiga tribe, have died in the Birsa block, about 85 km from the district headquarters, according to opposition claims and PTI reporting.
"I am coming to Balaghat today. To meet those tribal families who have lost their innocent children due to illness and the neglect of the BJP government," Gandhi posted on X in Hindi. "By spending time with them, I want to tell them that they are not alone in this grief — I am with them." Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh said Gandhi had been consistently raising the issue and was visiting to meet the affected families and demand justice, alleging that tribals become "invisible" to BJP governments once their land and resources are taken.
The cause of the deaths remains contested. Government figures put the toll at 20, while a central National Joint Outbreak Response Team investigated 196 cases and found multiple contributing factors — 25 of 64 samples tested positive for measles and 27 of 32 patients tested positive for malaria — rather than a single disease. The Madhya Pradesh High Court is hearing a public interest petition on the deaths, and the state government says it has posted 67 new medical officers in Balaghat, approved ₹2 crore for health facilities, and directed the setting up of new primary health centres and mobile medical units.
Sources: New Indian Express, Telegraph India, Deccan Chronicle
