In a scathing attack on the Uttar Pradesh government, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raised the issue of how the recent stampede in Prayagraj was handled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. He also termed it ironic that those who promoted “Digital Kumbh” were unable to provide the casualty figures from the tragedy that struck on January 29, when a surge for holy dips resulted in chaos on the banks of the Ganga.
Yadav, during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, assailed the government for being late in admitting the number of casualties, which the authorities finally pegged at 30 dead and 60 injured, though many believe the actual number of dead is higher. He also pressed for a comprehensive report on the incident to be presented in Parliament and demanded an all-party meeting on the tragedy: “Those hiding the truth must be punished.”.
Yadav accused the government of prioritizing publicity over public safety, claiming that while the administration could boast of impressive figures in the Union Budget, it did not report the lives lost during the Mahakumbh. He grieved the personal losses of many devotees: “Someone lost parents, someone a daughter, someone siblings. The figure of children is still missing.”
Yadav also accused the BJP government of disrupting age-old traditions by first forcing the saints to announce the cancellation of shahi snan and later dictating the akharas to go ahead with the event. Yadav flayed the administration’s response to the tragedy saying while the families returned from Kumbh carrying the bodies of their relatives, the administration was unwilling to accept the death.
This, Yadav said in an apparent attack on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during whose regime the accident occurred termed that the Chief Minister had called to condone the deaths only after the President and the Prime Minister. The statement shows Yadav gunning for greater accountability from the state government. Taking on the President, he said his speech was repetitive and that the imposition of development as regards the MoUs signed worth Rs 40,000 crore at the recent investment meet was not correct.
Yadav also spoke about the bigger issue of border controversies with China: “It looks like the ruling party is heading down a path where more and more losses may be expected to occur.” Calling for a caste census, Yadav claimed such unity is indispensable to resolve important issues like those mentioned above.
Concluding, Yadav warned that negligence regarding the manufacturing sector would hurt India’s economic growth and referred to the opportunities missed after the 1991 economic reforms in India. His remarks underline the immediate need for accountability and transparency within the government, especially in the wake of tragic events like the Prayagraj stampede.
