Pregnant Women Demand Road, BJP MP Says "Will Be Done Before Delivery"

In a striking example of grassroots protest and political indifference, eight pregnant women from a village in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district, led by an online influencer, have taken to social media to demand a basic necessity: a paved road to access hospitals.

Khaddi Khurd village has no paved roads, and women in late stages of pregnancy often have to be carried through muddy, uneven terrain to reach health centres.

But what followed their protest was not swift action - it was dismissal, deflection, and derision from elected officials.

Leela Sahu, who has over a lakh followers across platforms, had uploaded a video in 2023 tagging Prime Minister Modi and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, saying: "You made all 29 MPs win from Madhya Pradesh. Can we now get a road?"

After the video went viral, the Sidhi collector and MP had promised swift action. But a year later, the only thing that has moved is Leela Sahu's due date - the road remains where it was: unconstructed, unsafe, and unseen by development.

"Every delivery has a date. We will get it done a week before that ( Har delivery ki expected date hoti hai. Uske ek hafte pehle hi uthwa lenge)," said BJP MP Rajesh Mishra. Mr Mishra added, "If she wishes, she should come to us. We'll provide all facilities - food, water, care. Talking about these things publicly isn't ideal."

Instead of acknowledging the year-long demand for a drivable road, the MP deflected: "Has such an incident (of delivery issue due to road) ever happened till date? If needed, we have helicopters and aeroplanes. We have ASHA workers. We have ambulances. What's the worry?"

The MP said construction work has been delayed due to Forest Department objections, but failed to give a timeline for the start or completion of the project.

Two days ago, Public Works Department Minister Rakesh Singh said "If someone puts a post on social media, will we reach with a dumper or a cement concrete plant? This is not possible."

Mr Singh further argued that budgets are limited and not every demand posted online can be addressed, adding: "There are constitutional processes... if it's a rural road, it depends on which agency is responsible. We can't act on every post."