The opposition has been attacking the Adityanath government for its handling and management of the Maha Kumbh and has sought that the management of the Kumbh be given to the Army.
Prayagraj (UP): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Saturday lauded the ‘sants’ for “acting with such restraint” when, for the first time since the stampede on January 29, he visited the Maha Kumbh and took a veiled potshot at political opponents, saying they tried to “besmirch the glory of the mega event so that it becomes a matter of great global embarrassment”.
He said this soon after conducting an aerial survey of pilgrim management measures at the Maha Kumbh venue ahead of the February 3 Basant Panchami Amrit scan.
After landing in Prayagraj, he directly headed to Sangam Nose, the site of the stampede, to inspect it. He was briefed by Mela Officer Vijay Kiran Anand and DIG Vaibhav Krishna about the incident. Official figures say that in the stampede on Mauni Amavasya, 30 people died and at least 60 got injured.
“On the Mauni Amavasya day during the Amrit Snan, a tragedy unfolded here, and I must compliment the saints and seers on how, under testing circumstances, they acted with such restraint.”. Confronted by the challenge which sat before all of us, some ‘punyatma’ (blessed souls) became victims of a ‘hadsa’ (accident). But the saints acted in much the same way as a family elder reacts when their family is confronted with some problem, said Adityanath while addressing a meeting of saints at the Maha Kumbh.
He added, “Family elders don’t lose patience if a member of the family encounters any obstacle. On the other hand, family elders discuss and amicably solve the challenge so that it never hampers. I hope you will notice how opponents of Sanatan Dharma had made some futile efforts to get tested with patience from saints as that particular stampede just ahead of a massive Mauni Amavasya Amrit scan turned to become the question of deep worldwide embarrassment.
The opposition has been criticizing the management and handling of the Maha Kumbh by Adityanath’s government and demanding that the Kumbh management be handed over to the Army.
