Indore ‘bought’ cleanliness survey: Ashneer Grover faces flak for remark

Since 2016, the Centre's Swachh Survekshan has rated the Madhya Pradesh city as the cleanest in India.

Ashneer Grover is facing flak on social media after the BharatPe co-founder remarked at an event in the city that the reason it has been rated as India's cleanest city for six straight years is because it ‘bought’ the cleanliness survey.

Ashneer Grover (File Photo)

A clip of his statement has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter); both Indore residents and Madhya Pradesh politicians have lashed out at the entrepreneur for his remark.

Since 2016, when the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) began the annual Swachh Survekshan, Indore has been rated as the cleanest city in the country.

What did Grover say?

Grover said: ""See, there is a concept, playing to the gallery, that is, wherever you go, praise it saying I have never seen such a nice city. Now the problem with me is that for three-four years I have heard that Indore is the cleanest city...you have bought the survey. It's a simple thing."

“You have construction going on everywhere in the city,” the ex-Shark Tank India judge stated.

Politicians, citizens react

Pushyamitra Bhargava, the Indore mayor, warned the business leader with legal action.

“He has insulted the hard work of the city's people and sanitation workers. We will take appropriate legal action and serve a notice for defamation,” Bhargava said.

Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra, on the other hand, said that people like Grover have ‘trash in their brain.’

The entrepreneur-author, meanwhile, is yet to react to the mayor's ‘legal action’ warning.

(With PTI inputs)