Key Takeaways
- Yogi Adityanath defends Maha Kumbh against baseless criticism.
- More than 56 crore devotees attended Maha Kumbh.
- The government stands with the families of those who became victims of stampede or road accidents during Maha Kumbh.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday accused the main opposition party, Samajwadi Party (SP), of baseless ‘blabbering’ about the Maha Kumbh and said that if organising this event of Sanatan tradition with grandeur is a crime, then his government would like to commit this crime again and again.
During the discussion on the Governor’s address in the Assembly, the CM said that more than 56 crore devotees have taken a holy dip of faith in the Sangam in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, but some people are making baseless ‘blabbering’ against Sanatan Dharma, Maa Ganga, India’s faith.
The opposition parties claim that Maha Kumbh is a waste of money, but it’s actually a celebration of India’s Sanatan faith. More than 56 crore devotees have taken a holy dip in the Sangam, making it a significant event for the society.
Yogi said, “Our sympathies are with all those devotees who became victims of the stampede on Mauni Amavasya festival or became victims of a road accident while coming to Maha Kumbh. The government stands with their families but politics should not be done in this.”
He said that the opposition members left no stone unturned in defaming Maha Kumbh. “False propaganda about Kumbh was spread through social media. The public was misled by calling the old videos of stampede in Cairo and arson in Nepal as that of Maha Kumbh, but there was no decline in the enthusiasm of the people towards Maha Kumbh. People of every religion and caste participated in Maha Kumbh. Cricketer Mohammad Shami also took a holy dip in Kumbh,” he said.
The CM said that it is the habit of ‘Samajwadis’ to oppose every good thing. “They bite the hand that feeds them. These are the values of Samajwadi. The social media handle of SP confirms their values in which such language is used which does not suit any civilized society,” he said.
He said that SP President Akhilesh Yadav does not even know the name of Akshaya Vat. “He calls Saraswati Koop as the Saraswati River. He says that there is no word like Maha Kumbh. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav thinks Maha Kumbh is useless, while SP leader Jaya Bachchan says that the bodies of the people who died in the stampede were thrown into the Ganga river, which has further polluted it,” he said.
Yogi said, “Trinamool Congress leader Mamta Banerjee even called Maha Kumbh as ‘Mrityu Kumbh’. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge says that more than a 1,000 people died in the stampede. We do not mind your propaganda because we know that your mindset is infected. There is a treatment for an infected person but there is no cure for the infected mindset.”
He said that a great work has to go through three stages, ridicule, opposition, and acceptance. “Maha Kumbh was first ridiculed and later opposed but it was accepted. What can be a bigger proof of acceptance than the fact that the SP president, who was opposing, went and took a bath secretly. Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey also reached to take a dip in Maha Kumbh, but Akhilesh did not take his uncle Shivpal along,” he said.
Pointing towards the Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey, he said, “Pandey ji, you must take uncle (Shivpal Singh Yadav) to Kumbh.”
The CM said that before 2017, UP was facing an identity crisis. “After the organisation of Maha Kumbh, now a person from UP will get respect wherever he goes. I will request the Speaker of the Assembly to make all the members take a dip in Maha Kumbh. I believed that a joint session should be held in Maha Kumbh, but as SP would oppose this too, that is why we stayed away from this,” he said.
