SINGRAULI (MADHYA PRADESH): A political controversy has erupted in Madhya Pradesh after a video surfaced online showing a municipal fire brigade vehicle being used to wash the private Toyota Innova of BJP MLA Ramniwas Shah outside his official residence in Singrauli district.
The footage, which went viral on social media, shows municipal corporation personnel using a high-pressure hosepipe connected to the fire engine to spray water over the MLA’s vehicle.
Opposition Attacks BJP Over Misuse of Emergency Services
The opposition Congress launched a sharp attack on the ruling party, accusing it of blatantly misusing emergency public resources for personal vanity.
Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Umang Singhar, lashed out at the BJP legislator:
”When emergency situations arise, fire brigade vehicles fail to reach the homes of ordinary citizens in time to douse fires. But here in Singrauli, the BJP MLA has turned a fire brigade engine into his private car washing centre.”
Singhar questioned the accountability of government officials and demanded a strict probe into the incident.
MLA Defends Himself, Shifts Blame to Driver and Officials
When confronted over the video, Singrauli MLA Ramniwas Shah dismissed the allegations, claiming he was unaware of the event as he was away attending public programs.
”People should understand one thing—does an MLA wash his own vehicle?” Shah remarked when asked about the visuals.
Shah stated that he had returned from Bhopal and went to attend official functions, merely instructing his driver to bring the vehicle quickly. “I was not present at my residence at the time, so how would I know what happened? Ask the driver what transpired,” he said.
He further suggested that the fire tender might have been deployed by the Municipal Corporation to address a local water supply issue at officials’ quarters rather than specifically to wash his car.
Meanwhile, Singrauli Municipal Corporation Commissioner Savita Pradhan stated that she was unaware of the incident and that the matter is being looked into.
