Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath (File Photo)
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday, February 24 criticized the opposition Samajwadi Party, stating that during its tenure, the chief minister did not take the time to review Kumbh preparations and assigned a “non-Sanatani” to oversee the event.
Referring to the 2013 Kumbh under then-Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, when Mohammad Azam Khan was put in charge, Adityanath remarked in the state assembly, “We have not played with faith like you. In your time, the chief minister did not have time to see and review the event and therefore he appointed a non-Sanatani as the in-charge of Kumbh.”
He contrasted this with the current administration, saying, “But here I myself was reviewing Kumbh and am still doing it. This is the reason that whoever went to the Kumbh in 2013 saw chaos, corruption, and pollution. There was no water fit for bathing in the Triveni of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. The prime minister of Mauritius is an example of this who refused to take a bath.”
Highlighting the ongoing Maha Kumbh, he said, “The President, the prime minister and the vice president visited there. The King of Bhutan came, and heads of all other countries of the world — that is 74 nations — visited the place. All of them participated in the event and made it successful. For the first time… everyone became a part of this event and made it successful.”
Adityanath also accused leftists and socialists of making negative remarks about Maha Kumbh over the past one-and-a-half months. He stated, “Apart from dirt, disorder and trouble of tourists, they found nothing else there. But apart from all this, their ideology has no effect on the ground. There is silence on hundreds of deaths due to conditions during Haj. The leftists and seculars of India who have been seen speaking on the Maha Kumbh maintain silence on that.”
Defending Kumbh arrangements against opposition criticism, he said, “Whoever searched for something in Kumbh, got it. Vultures got only dead bodies. Pigs got dirt. Sensitive people got a beautiful picture of relationships. People with faith got a sense of fulfilment. Gentlemen got gentlemanliness, the poor got employment, the rich got business. Devotees got clean arrangements… Devotees got God. It means that everyone has seen and felt things according to their nature and character.”
Slamming opposition parties, Adityanath stated, “Those who did nothing during their rule and had made Kumbh a victim of disorder and corruption, are now commenting on Maha Kumbh. By doing this, they are playing with the sentiments of India. Maha Kumbh has given the message of eternal unity of India to the whole world and realised Prime Minister Modi’s vision of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.”
Rejecting claims of discrimination during Maha Kumbh, he added, “There was no bias based on caste, region, opinion or religion. No discrimination of any kind has been done. All the people are bathing at one ghat. What can be a bigger message of unity than this and this is the true Sanatan Dharma too.”
Addressing allegations from the opposition, he asserted, “You said that a particular caste was stopped from going there. No caste was stopped. Anybody with good intentions should go to Kumbh with respect, but whoever goes there with ill intentions will suffer if he tries to create chaos in Kumbh.”
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a sharp attack on the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar, accusing them of opposing the Maha Kumbh. Speaking at a rally in Bhagalpur, he said, “Jungle Raj people have a problem with our heritage. More people than the entire population of Europe have taken a dip in the Kumbh, yet they are abusing it. Those rattled by the Ram Mandir are now targeting the Kumbh. Bihar will never forgive them.”
A day earlier, PM Modi had also criticized opposition parties for their remarks on the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. He accused them of having a “slave mentality” and constantly attacking Hindu traditions, allegedly with foreign backing. He asserted that the grand event stands as a symbol of unity and will continue to inspire future generations.
This post was last modified on February 24, 2025 8:38 pm