Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Saturday urged the Uttar Pradesh government to extend the duration of the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
Speaking to the reporters at the party office, Yadav accused the BJP government of lying in statistics. He said that as per the information he has received, a total of 60 crore people have taken baths in the Maha Kumbh. But the government is not disclosing it.
In a post on X, he said, “We believe that about 60 crore people have taken a bath in Maha Kumbh. The government is showing a reduced figure because tomorrow when the international media or university will study the administration and management of this fair, they will find that proper administration and management was not done according to the number of people who came. Which is the failure of the BJP government. That is why after the fair failed, they are deliberately showing a lower number.”
Speaking to the reporters, he said, “We appeal to the government that many elderly people, who are 65-plus, 70-plus have not been able to take a bath in Maha Kumbh. They want to take a bath and want to participate in spiritual programmes. This is an appeal to the government that at one time there used to be a Kumbh of 75 days.”
“We demand that the residents of Prayagraj could not even take a bath, so the Kumbh should be given a further extension.”
The ongoing Mahakumbh being held at the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, started with the first major ‘snaan’ January 13 on the occasion of Paush Purnima and will conclude February 26 on the occasion of Mahashivratri.
Targeting the Digital Kumbh of the government, the SP chief said, “The government said that it had placed the drone, and conducted many programmes with the drone, but did not use the drone where it was supposed to be used. The government talked about Digital Kumbh but could not reveal the numbers till now.”
Highlighting the alleged failure of the commissionerate system of policing, the former UP chief minister said, “If the biggest failure of the Commissionerate system (of policing) has been seen, then it is in Prayagraj. Can anyone forget the bad name that UP has earned in the country and in the world? A world record 300-kilometre-long jam was created. Chief Ministers of UP and MP were working to ease the jam.”
Sharpening his attack, Yadav said, “These are the people who are saying that we are dreaming of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India). This event (‘aayojan’) has exposed their claims of ‘Viksit Bharat’ and the infrastructure they were building up. And those who are afraid of being exposed, are the same who are attacking the media cell.”
PTI
