NEW DELHI: The opposition has raised serious concerns over the management of the UP government after a stampede broke out leaving several injured on Wednesday morning at Sangam, Maha Kumbh. While Congress president slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for “paying more attention to self-promotion than management and mismanagement”, Samajwadi Party chief called upon the BJP-led state government to take moral responsibility and resign from all posts.
Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi blamed the “VIP culture” for the mismanagement of the situation and advised the state government to “improve the system to prevent a tragic incident like today from happening again.”
“Mismanagement, mismanagement and administration’s special focus on VIP movement instead of common devotees are responsible for this tragic incident. There is still a lot of time left for the Maha Kumbh, many more Mahasnans are to take place. The government should improve the system to prevent a tragic incident like today from happening again. VIP culture should be curbed and the government should make better arrangements to meet the needs of common devotees,” he said.
Half-baked arrangements: Mallikarjun Kharge
Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the “half-baked arrangements” made despite spending “thousands of crores of rupees” on Maha Kumbh.
“Half-baked arrangements, VIP movement, paying more attention to self-promotion than management and mismanagement are responsible for this. Despite spending thousands of crores of rupees, such arrangements are condemnable,” he said.
“Arrangements for accommodation, food, first aid and movement of devotees should be expanded and VIP movement should be curbed. This is what our saints and sages also want,” he added.
Truth behind claims of ‘world-class system’ exposed: Akhilesh Yadav
Akhilesh slammed the state government for “spreading false propaganda” regarding the claims of “world-class system” after the stampede.
“Now that the truth behind the claims of ‘world-class system’ has been exposed, those who were making these claims and spreading false propaganda should take moral responsibility for the people killed in this accident and resign from their posts,” he said.
SP chief called upon the UP government to hand over management of Maha Kumbh to Indian Army in a bid to “re-instill faith in the system among the saint community and devotees”.
“In order to re-instill faith in the system among the saint community and devotees who have come to the Maha Kumbh, it is necessary that the administration and management of the Maha Kumbh should be immediately handed over to the Army instead of the UP government and administration,” he said.
He had earlier appealed to the government to urgent arrangements to deal with the situation.
“We appeal to our government to: Seriously injured people should be taken to the nearest best hospitals with the help of air ambulance and immediate medical treatment should be provided; arrangements should be made to identify the bodies of the deceased and hand them over to their relatives and send them to their place of residence; urgent efforts should be made to reunite those who have been separated; surveillance should be increased by making good use of helicopters; keeping the unbroken tradition of ‘Royal Bath’ going on since the Satya Yuga, arrangements should be made to conduct the ‘Royal Bath of Mauni Amavasya’ amidst safe management parallel to relief work,” he said.
Don’t believe in rumours: UP CM Yogi Adityanath
UP chief minister, who is in constant touch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the situation, urged the people to not pay attention to “rumours” and avoid taking dip at Sangam nose.
“Around 8-10 crore devotees are present in Prayagraj today. There is continuous pressure due to the movement of devotees towards the Sangam Nose. A few devotees have suffered serious injuries when they tried to cross barricading on Akhara Marg. The injured been shifted to hospitals for medical treatment,” he said.
“The PM has taken stock of the situation four times till now. Union home minister Amit Shah and Governor Anandiben Patel are also continuously taking reports of the situation,” he added.
“There are large crowds at Sangam Nose, Nag Vasuki Marg and Sangam Marg. I appeal to the devotees to not pay attention to any rumour. Ghats have been made in the entire Kumbh area, devotees don’t need to move towards Sangam nose only. Devotees should take holy dip at the ghats nearest to them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal and BSP leader Mayawati urged the devotees to excercise caution.
“The stampede incident in Maha Kumbh is extremely sad. I pray for the peace of the souls of the devotees who lost their lives in this accident. May God give strength to their families to bear this immense sorrow. A humble appeal to all devotees is to maintain patience and be cautious. Follow the instructions of the administration and take care of each other’s safety,” Kejriwal said.
“The news of devotees who lost their lives and got injured in the stampede at the Maha Kumbh at the Sangam site in Prayagraj are extremely sad and worrisome. At such a time, the party wishes that nature gives the victims the strength to bear this sorrow,” Mayawati said.
The stampede occurred after millions of pilgrims gathered for the holy bath on Mauni Amavasya. Officials fear multiple casualties due to the overwhelming crowd surge.
In response to the incident, the akharas decided to call off their traditional Amrit Snan for Mauni Amavasya. However, large numbers of devotees continued to take a dip at Sangam and other ghats in the Mela area despite the chaos. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation.
