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BJP MP's bizarre response to pregnant women's demand for road: ‘Will Be Done Before Delivery’
Despite initial assurances in 2023, he dismissed concerns over prenatal care and attributed the delay to Forest Department objections.
BJP MP Rajesh Mishra deferred a promise, of building a road to a hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi, he had made to eight pregnant women in 2023.
In 2023, the eight pregnant women took to social media with the help of an influencer, Leela Sahu, who has over a lakh followers across platforms, NDTV reported.
A video was uploaded, tagging Prime Minister Modi and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, saying, “You made all 29 MPs win from Madhya Pradesh. Can we now get a road?”
The women voiced concerns over a paved road access to hospitals, with the move being a mere plea to the government to improve prenatal care of rural women.
What did BJP MP Rajesh Mishra say back then?
After the video went viral and reportedly took to the social media feeds belonging to BJP officials, the Sidhi collector and MP Rajesh Mishra promised the road construction before the women's expected delivery dates.
“Every delivery has a date. We will get it done a week before that(Har delivery ki expected date hoti hai. Uske ek hafte pehle hi uthwa lenge),” he said.
Mishra also added that the government would provide necessary facilities like food, water and care to the women, if they wish.
What does the same man say now?
The same Rajesh Mishra, ran a counter this time. He denied all concerns that need to be addressed and improved in India over prenatal care of rural women.
Paying zero heed to the delay of more than a year, he said, “Has such an incident (of delivery issue due to road) ever happened till date? If needed, we have helicopters and aeroplanes. We have ASHA workers. We have ambulances. What's the worry?”
Mishra reportedly attributed the delay in the road construction to Forest Department objections. He also failed to give a timeline for the start or completion of the project.
Another minister's stance
According to the report, talking about this issue, Public Works Department Minister Rakesh Singh said, “If someone puts a post on social media, will we reach with a dumper or a cement concrete plant? This is not possible.”
Further blaming budget constraint for the delay, Singh said that every demand on the internet cannot be addressed. “There are constitutional processes... if it's a rural road, it depends on which agency is responsible. We can't act on every post,” he added.
