NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, accusing them of conspiring against Sanatan Dharma and “taking payoffs” to speak against it (Sanatan Dharm ke khilaf supari le karke shadyantra rach rhe hain). He said that, “Both the parties (Congress, SP) and anti- Sanatan forces wanted a major incident to take place.”
His remarks came amid opposition allegations that the Uttar Pradesh government was underreporting the casualties from the Maha Kumbh stampede.
Adityanath, addressing the claims against Maha Kumbh said, “New records of lies and falsehood are being made by elements taking a contract against Sanatan Dharma. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s statements in Parliament are drawing everyone’s attention towards it. Both these statements reflect not only their anti-Sanatana face but also draw everyone’s attention towards their hawk eye that is continuously spreading disinformation against Maha Kumbh from the first day.”
UP CM said, “Both parties and the anti-Sanatan forces wanted a major incident to happen. Our priority was to ensure that this event remained incident-free, but the incident that did occur is unfortunate. (Yeh dono dal chahte the, aur sanatan virodhi chahte the ki bada haadsa ho jae. humari prathmikta thi ki hum iss karyakrm ko zero hadse tak le jae, lekin jo ghatna ghati hui toh dukhad hai.)”
The controversy erupted after Mallikarjun Kharge, speaking in Rajya Sabha on Monday, claimed that 1,000 people had died in the stampede, while the UP government maintained that the death toll stood at 30. Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav also questioned the official figures and demanded that the government release the exact number of casualties.
Rejecting the opposition’s allegations, Adityanath accused them of attempting to discredit the Maha Kumbh event. “On one hand, the people are witnessing such a big event and taking part in it with pride, and on the other hand, Sanatan Dharm ke khilaf supari lekarke shadyantra, repeatedly there are malicious acts being plotted too,” he said.
The chief minister defended the administration’s handling of the incident, stating that security forces acted promptly to ensure the injured received medical attention. “Saying that no numbers (on deaths) were given. I had personally put the numbers in front of everyone, everyone was sad. The way officials had a quick response, NDRF, SDRF, civil defence, police, all of them worked to bring the injured to the hospital is an example of good work done,” the CM added.
Adityanath also dismissed Kharge’s remarks as misleading. “Congress president says that thousands of people died in Prayagraj on Mauni Amavasya. We feel sad, it is not expected of such a senior leader and president of the oldest party to make such controversial statements in the Parliament and mislead. SP chief made a similar statement. There is competition between both parties, who can be more anti-Sanatana,” he said.
Meanwhile, Akhilesh Yadav reiterated his demand for transparency. “Why is the govt not giving the figures of the deceased in the stampede?… If there was a huge gathering at that time, why was space not given in the Army premises? The Government allowed this incident to take place. Now, they do not want to give the details and if anyone tries to provide details, FIR will be registered against them,” he alleged.
The stampede occurred during the second Shahi Snan on Mauni Amavasya at the Maha Kumbh Mela. According to the Uttar Pradesh government, at least 30 people were killed and around 60 sustained injuries. The incident has sparked a political row, with opposition leaders questioning the handling of the tragedy and the official figures released by the state government.