Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya has ignited a fresh political firestorm with his dismissive response to a journalist's query regarding a deadly water contamination crisis in his constituency. The incident, captured on video, shows the minister using inappropriate slang, drawing sharp criticism and adding to his extensive record of controversial remarks.
The Indore Water Contamination Tragedy
The controversy stems from a severe public health emergency in Indore. According to the district administration, a toilet was constructed directly above a main drinking water pipeline near a police outpost in Vijayvargiya's Indore-1 Assembly constituency. Crucially, it was built without a mandatory safety tank, leading to sewage mixing with the potable water supply.
This negligence has resulted in a grave crisis, with at least seven people dead and more than a hundred hospitalised. As the minister holding the crucial Urban Development and Housing portfolio in the Mohan Yadav-led state cabinet, Vijayvargiya's response was highly anticipated.
The Dismissive 'Ghanta' Remark and Viral Video
When a reporter pressed him for answers on the contamination issue, Vijayvargiya first snapped, asking the journalist not to pose a "worthless (fokat) question." As the reporter persisted, the minister, in the now-viral video, is heard using the word "ghanta"—a common Hindi slang term used to dismiss something as "nonsense" or "rubbish."
The journalist is also heard urging the minister to maintain decorum in his language. The video has spread rapidly across social media platforms, leading to widespread condemnation from opposition parties and the public, who accused the minister of being insensitive during a humanitarian crisis.
A Long History of Controversial Statements
This incident is merely the latest in a long series of controversies involving the BJP veteran. His penchant for making objectionable remarks has repeatedly landed him in hot water.
In October 2025, he faced severe backlash for his comments on the molestation of two Australian women cricketers in Indore. Vijayvargiya stated that the players should have informed authorities before stepping out of their hotel, calling the incident a "lesson" for both officials and the cricketers.
In September 2025, he stoked a major row by criticising the Leader of the Opposition, in an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi, for "kissing his sister in public." He labelled this a "lack of values and culture" imported from foreign shores, drawing a sharp rebuke and demands for an apology from the Congress party.
His comments on women's attire have also repeatedly caused outrage:
- In April 2023, at a religious event in Indore, he said girls wearing "bad or skimpy clothes" resembled 'Shurpanakha' from the Ramayana.
- In June 2025, he again criticised "skimpy clothes" as a foreign idea of beauty inconsistent with Indian traditions, despite claiming to view women as a "form of a goddess."
Furthermore, in August 2025, he described India's Independence achieved on August 15, 1947, as "kati-fati" (fragmented), speaking of his vision for an "Akhand Bharat" where the Indian Tricolour would fly over Islamabad.
Family Controversies and Political Repercussions
Controversy has also touched Vijayvargiya's family. In June 2019, his son Akash Vijayvargiya, then the MLA from Indore-3, was arrested for allegedly assaulting an Indore Municipal Corporation officer with a cricket bat during an anti-encroachment drive. The viral video of the incident embarrassed the BJP, which was in the opposition at the time.
The case had political ramifications; Akash was not fielded from Indore-3 in the 2023 Assembly elections, making way for his father to contest. He was later exonerated in September 2024 after the civic official told the court he could not identify who hit him as he was looking at his phone.
The latest remark during the water crisis has once again put the spotlight on the minister's conduct, with critics questioning his accountability and temperament while handling a portfolio directly linked to urban infrastructure and public health. The opposition is likely to use this incident to corner the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh over both the administrative failure that led to the deaths and the minister's inflammatory response.
