NEW DELHI: Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav and minister Krishna Gaur on Wednesday strongly criticized West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for her “Mrityu Kumbh” remark about the Mahakumbh festival.
They demanded an apology from Banerjee, who had expressed concerns about inadequate arrangements leading to stampedes at the religious gathering.
Chief minister Yadav condemned Banerjee’s choice of words regarding the religious festival, emphasizing the sacred nature of Mahakumbh.
“West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has used extremely low-grade language. Mahakumbh is a fest of great faith, reverence and trust. Making such a comment is insulting Hindu Dharma. Her remark shows her mentality. This is the reason why people are losing their faith in organisations like hers. I hope people will teach more lessons to them in the future. I don’t understand why Congress and its accompanying people have objections with Hindu Dharma. May the almighty give them wisdom and she should apologise,” said Yadav
Madhya Pradesh minister Krishna Gaur also joined in the criticism, calling Banerjee a “stigma in the nation.”
“I strongly condemn her remark and it is being condemned across the country. The whole nation is constantly reaching Prayagraj to take a holy dip in Mahakumbh. Despite troubles, everyone has a desire to have a holy dip, no one wants to miss this moment. In such a situation, people like Mamata Banerjee, who insult the faith of Sanatanis, are a stigma in the country who make such unreasonable comments about the Mahakumbh. The whole country is condemning this statement of Mamata Banerjee. We all demand that Mamata Banerjee should apologise to the Sanatanis of the country and to the faithful of Hindu Dharma. Mamata Banerjee’s character has been fully exposed before the country,” said Gaur.
The controversy arose after Banerjee’s comments in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, where she addressed the stampedes that occurred on January 29 in Prayagraj and February 15 at the New Delhi Railway station.
“This is ‘Mrityu Kumbh’…I respect Maha Kumbh, I respect the holy Ganga Maa. But there is no planning…How many people have been recovered?” Banerjee said in the assembly.
She also highlighted the disparity in arrangements between rich and poor attendees, noting that while VIP camps cost up to Rs 1 Lakh, there were inadequate arrangements for the poor.
“For the rich, the VIP, there are systems available to get camps (tents) for as high as Rs 1 Lakhs. For the poor, there are no arrangements at Kumbh…Stampede situation is common in a ‘mela’ but it is important to make arrangements. What planning did you make?” Banerjee added.