The 22-year-old, who started making short-form content in 2022, initially vlogged about local fairs, travel, and her family’s farming life. (Express)
Leela Sahu, a 22-year-old influencer from Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district who has found herself in the crosshairs of local BJP leadership, has said that while she has no interest in politics, she will continue using her online presence – she has over 23 lakh followers on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook – “to raise local issues”.
The 22-year-old, who started making short-form content in 2022, initially vlogged about local fairs, travel, and her family’s farming life. But from 2024, she switched to highlighting local issues, addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and Sidhi MP Rajesh Mishra.
After she became pregnant last year, she and her family members met local politicians to construct a road from their village, but when things did not move forward, she made another video to highlight the issue. “Only a survey was done. The rains came and went, then winter, then summer. Now it’s raining again, and the road is yet to be made,” she said.
For residents of Khaddi Khurd, located in Sidhi district, basic healthcare is an 8-km tractor ride away, often on unpaved, broken paths.
BJP MP Rajesh Mishra, responding to her videos, courted controversy when he said arrangements would be made for transportation a week before the due date for women who are about to deliver. “Every delivery has a due date. If she wants, she can get admitted early. We will provide all facilities, including food and water,” Mishra had said.
As his remarks came under criticism, he clarified, “My comments have been misconstrued. We had sent the proposal to construct the road to the central government in 2024. The proposal has also been accepted. We had also informed the villagers that the road would be constructed in 17 months.”
PWD minister Rakesh Singh had chimed in, “Till the time there are roads, there will be potholes. There may be a road with a life of 5 years and may have potholes in 4 years. But if there are roads which should not go bad in 4 years, and have potholes in 6 months, that is wrong.”
Story continues below this ad
A Sidhi district official said that a recent survey by the Madhya Pradesh Rural Road Development Authority was undertaken, and a 5-km road plan under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana was submitted in March 2025. “Work will start once it’s approved at the state level,” said the official.
But Leela said the issue doesn’t concern her alone: “I am 9 months pregnant. My due date is fast approaching. My sister-in-law is also pregnant. There are six women in my locality who are approaching their due dates. It takes several hours to reach the hospital using this broken road. Now, we are hearing that they will undertake another survey. I will travel to Delhi after my delivery and try and meet Gadkari ji and urge him to make the road,” she said.
She has also faced backlash from some corners for having “political ambitions” and chasing attention. “I already have 50 lakh followers. I have no interest in politics. I only want to use this platform to raise local issues. I don’t want politicians to airlift me. I don’t want special treatment. I want our politicians to be held accountable,” she said. “You are all living in 2025. We are living in the 1990s. We don’t have proper roads. There is no running tap water. If I have to upload my video on Instagram, I have to walk 1 km to get an internet signal.”
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More
4 min read
