Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi fiercely criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav for what he termed “government negligence” following the tragic deaths of two newborns bitten by rats in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital in Indore, one of Madhya Pradesh’s largest government healthcare facilities. In a scathing post on X, Gandhi described the incidents as “outright murder” and a “horrific, inhuman, and insensitive” failure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

The first infant, bitten on the fingers, succumbed on September 2, 2025, with the hospital attributing the death to pneumonia. The second infant, bitten on the head and shoulder, died on September 3, 2025, with the hospital citing septicemia (blood infection) as the cause, not the rat bites. Dr. Jitendra Verma, Deputy Superintendent of the hospital, noted that the second infant, weighing only 1.60 kg, had congenital deformities, including an intestinal issue, and had undergone surgery seven days prior. The family declined an autopsy, and the body was released to them.

Gandhi lambasted the government for failing to ensure basic safety in public hospitals, stating, “A child has been snatched from a mother’s lap, simply because the government failed to fulfil its most basic responsibility.” He accused the administration of prioritizing privatization, leaving government hospitals as “dens of death” for the poor while treatment becomes a privilege for the wealthy. Gandhi questioned the government’s legitimacy to govern, demanding, “When you can’t even ensure the safety of newborn children, what right do you have to run the government?”

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Expressing solidarity with affected families, Gandhi vowed that the Congress would continue fighting for the healthcare rights of the poor, asserting, “This voice is rising on behalf of those lakhs of parents who are today victims of governmental negligence.” He called on Modi to respond to the crisis, urging accountability for the systemic failures. The incidents have sparked outrage, highlighting critical lapses in hospital safety and prompting renewed scrutiny of public healthcare infrastructure in Madhya Pradesh.

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