Singrauli: A video of a government fire engine, which is supposed to protect people’s lives and property in emergencies, being used to wash an MLA’s Innova car has gone viral on social media, sparking a huge political controversy.
The incident took place in front of the government residence of BJP MLA Ramniwas Shah from Singrauli assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh in Bilawanji. The footage shows three municipal corporation personnel spraying pressure water on the MLA’s car through the pipe of a fire engine.
When questioned by the media about the video, MLA Ramniwas Shah responded angrily by asking, “People should first understand, can an MLA wash his own vehicle?” NDTV reported this.
He claimed that he was not at home at the time as he was at a local function and claimed that the driver might have used the vehicle that had come to supply water to the municipal corporation office to wash the car.
Umang Singhar Kidi: Leader of the Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Umang Singhar, launched a scathing attack on the government, criticizing that fire engines, which do not arrive in time when the houses of common people catch fire, have become private washing centres for BJP MLAs to wash their cars.
Netizens’ sarcasm: There has been a lot of outrage on social media that politicians are misusing public tax money and emergency resources for their personal prestige.
Violation of emergency service rules: According to the rules, fire engines are allowed to be used only for fire accidents, floods or emergency rescue operations. Using them to wash the private vehicle of any person or for personal use is abuse of power and a punishable offence.
Silence of officials: Although the incident was made public, the local municipal commissioner and district administration’s deliberate silence without conducting a clear investigation into the incident has raised questions about the accountability of the local administration.