Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh): Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Sunday launched a sharp, satirical attack on Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav by circulating a fabricated resignation letter in which he “quits” as the state’s chief minister “with immediate effect”.
Sharing the document on X, Dipke captioned it: “I hereby resign as the Chief Minister of MP with immediate effect. I thank Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of MP, an opportunity in which I have clearly failed.”
Written to look like a real official letter, the letter was addressed to the Governor and used the tragedy of more than 30 tribal child deaths in Balaghat’s Baihar assembly area to strongly criticise the ruling government over healthcare, compensation and access to basic facilities.
‘Conscience Does Not Allow Me To Continue’
In the mock resignation letter, Dipke asserted that his “conscience does not allow me to continue occupying this chair after the deaths of more than 30 Tribal children in Balaghat. As Chief Minister, I accept responsibility for failing to provide them with the timely medical care and support they needed. Many of these lives could possibly have been saved, and I cannot escape responsibility for that failure.”
He described the administration’s reaction to the fatalities as equally “shameful”, highlighting that the initial ex-gratia of Rs 22 lakh per child was hiked to Rs 24 lakh only after sustained protests by tribal residents.
“It forces me to ask an uncomfortable question: would we have considered 24 lakh adequate had these been the children of Ministers or MLAs? Our response reflects how little value we have placed on the lives of Tribal children,” the letter stated.
‘Failures Go Beyond Healthcare’
Dipke further alleged that authorities had not held health officials to account, adding: “Despite the gravity of this tragedy, we have also failed to hold health officials accountable. The deaths of innocent children demand accountability at the highest level.”
Expanding his criticism beyond medical infrastructure, he questioned the Centre’s claim of universal tap water coverage under the Har Ghar Nal scheme, noting that some tribal households in Balaghat still rely on river water for drinking.
“Today, I hang my head in shame that even after nearly 21 years of BJP governments in Madhya Pradesh since 2003, we have not been able to guarantee many Tribal families the basic dignity of safe drinking water, adequate healthcare and quality education,” the letter read.
Heckling During Village Visit
The post followed a day after Dipke was allegedly confronted and heckled by a group of individuals who appeared to be social media influencers during his Saturday visit to Adori, Korka and Bondari villages in Balaghat, as reported by The New Indian Express.
Dipke had travelled to interact with families of Baiga and Gond tribal children who have reportedly died since July 2026 owing to multiple health complications, and to inspect local medical facilities.
In a viral clip, a woman was seen challenging him as he was departing in a vehicle, asking whether he had come to “do politics on corpses” and why he was arriving so late. Dipke was heard apologising for the belated visit.
On Saturday, following his village visits, Dipke told the media the CJP “completely sympathise with families who have lost their children and will definitely come forward to ensure justice for them”, even as he blamed the administration for doing nothing and said his local team was being pressurised.
Court Seeks Records
Since July 2026, more than 30 child deaths have been reported from Baiga- and Gond-dominated hamlets in Balaghat’s Baihar assembly constituency.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Jabalpur bench has recently asked the state government to produce documents on the tribal child deaths and has sought responses from the Health Department, Women and Child Development Department, Balaghat collector and other authorities in a public interest litigation.
A Centre-led investigation has so far reportedly not found one specific disease or germ behind the fatalities; instead, officials have listed multiple clinical conditions, such as measles, malaria, co-infections, respiratory distress, dehydration, malnutrition, anaemia and shock.