Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and Congress leader Kamal Nath has launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP government in the state saying be it 'cheetahs, women or tribals, nobody is safe in Madhya Pradesh'. This comes after another cheetah died at the Kuno National Park, and following a spate of violent incidents against tribals in the state.
"All cheetahs will die due to mismanagement of the BJP government. Be it women, be it cheetahs or be it adivasis, no one is safe in Madhya Pradesh," he said.
On Tuesday, the seventh cheetah that was released under the cheetah reintroduction project in Kuno National Park died. The cheetah, named Tejas, died of injuries to his neck. Tejas was the seventh cheetah to die at the KNP in three months. Earlier in May, two cubs had died of intense hot weather as they were weak after birth. Their mother Jwala, earlier known as Siyaya, was brought from Namibia to KNP in Sheopur district in September 2022. She gave birth to four cubs in the last week of March this year.
Cheetahs were reintroduced in India, 70 years after the species was declared extinct. One of the Namibian cheetahs, Sasha, succumbed to a kidney-related ailment on March 27, while another cheetah, Uday, from South Africa, died on April 13.
Another incident from the state that drew massive outrage was the viral video in which a man was seen urinating on a tribal labourer in the Sidhi district. Following the backlash, the man was arrested and Chief Miinster Shivraj Chouhan apologised. The Chief Minister washed his feet and said he was pained to learn about the incident, adding that he considers people as God. The incident drew massive criticism from the opposition who blamed the state governent for the plight of tribals in the state.