NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday defended her ‘Mrityu Kumbh‘ remark on Maha Kumbh stampede and said that her statement was “distorted”. She also demanded the release of promised compensation announced by the Yogi Adityanath government for the families of the victims.
“If I am arranging for a wedding ceremony, I must do it keeping in mind the number of guests. For religious congregations, we must also follow the same planning and arrangements. We have talked about the (lack of) planning (in Kumbh Mela) and that statement was distorted. I have never disrespected any religion in my life and would never do so,” she said.
Acknowledging that accidents do happen, Mamata cited a 2011 fire incident at a private hospital in the city that claimed over 100 lives. “We remained awake the entire night till the post-mortems were completed. We issued death certificates, compensation and compensatory appointment letters that very night,” she said.
She also questioned the claim that this Kumbh was taking place after 144 years. “Gangasagar is an annual event but Maha Kumbh takes place every 12 years. The last Kumbh Mela happened in 2014. If I am wrong then please correct me. But that this Maha Kumbh is taking place in 144 years is incorrect,” she said.
Earlier this month, Mamata had slammed the Yogi government in UP for the stampede that took 30 lives at Maha Kumbh. “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?…for the rich, the VIP, there are systems available to get camps (tents) for as high as Rs 1 lakh. 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?” she had said.
Following this, she faced strong backlash from the seer community and BJP leaders for referring to the Maha Kumbh as ‘Mrityu Kumbh’ and had demanded that she withdraw her statement and issue a public apology.