Balaghat (MP): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday reached Madhya Pradesh’s tribal-dominated Balaghat district to meet the families of more than 30 children who have died due to suspected infectious diseases in the last few months.

“Rahul ji travelled by road to Balaghat from Gondia in neighbouring Maharashtra, where he had arrived by plane,” MP Congress media coordinator Abhinav Barolia told PTI over the phone.

The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition was in Jagla village of Baihar tehsil to meet the kin of the deceased kids, he said, claiming that “no politician, not even MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, has visited this village since the deaths were reported”.

Over 30 tribal children, primarily of the Baiga tribe, have died due to different reasons, including suspected infectious diseases, in the Birsa block, about 85 km from the district headquarters, in the last few months.

On September 13, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke had met the families of the deceased kids. During the visit, he was heckled by a group of people appearing to be social media influencers, viral videos had shown.