Ensure Petlawad type explosions never recur: Scindia to MP govt

Bhopal: Former Union Minister and Lok Sabha chief whip Jyotiraditya Scindia urged the Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday to ensure that Petlawad type explosions which claimed 89 lives and injured nearly 100 others, never recur.

"I don't want to play politics on the Petlavad incident. The government must provide assistance to victims of the explosion," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function.

"The state government must ensure that such incidents never recur in the future, and fix the responsibility on those responsible for it," Scindia added.

He wondered how such a huge amount of explosives were stored in a busy commercial and residential area without authorities not being aware about it.

Scindia refused to comment when asked about ongoing squabbles in the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) after the constitution of the new state body with those left behind, including the lone Muslim Congress MLA Arif Aqueel, as well as other Congressmen threatening to leave the party

Aqueel, who met Scindia at a hotel recently, did not share what transpired between them, MP state Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said.

When Aqueel was asked about it, the Congress MLA said, "I met him in my capacity as President of the Bhopal Division Cricket Association (BDCA) along with other officer bearers, since Scindia is also the President of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA)".