Accusing the previous Mayawati Government in the Lok Sabha over the January 29 stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela is an attempt to blow the issue out of proportion, BJP MP Hema Malini assailed Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Malini said that it appeared to be Yadav’s job to distort facts, claiming that though a stampede occurred, it was not that serious. “Akhilesh’s job is only to speak wrongly. The incident did happen, but it wasn’t that big. It is being exaggerated,” she said.
It was very well-managed and everything was done very well. With so much crowd, it is difficult, but we are doing our best,” Malini said over a media statement expressing confidence in the Uttar Pradesh government’s ability to manage the Maha Kumbh Mela effectively.
Earlier in the day, Akhilesh Yadav attacked the Yogi Adityanath government over the handling of the stampede that left 30 people dead and over 60 injured. He had alleged that the administration was trying to cover up the death toll. He raised the demand for transparency on the number of deaths during his address on the motion of thanks to the President’s address during the ongoing Budget session.
“While the government was continuing to give out budget figures, it should have declared the number of deaths that occurred due to the Maha Kumbh. I demand an all-party meeting to seek an explanation for the preparations related to the Maha Kumbh.
The Army should have been entrusted with disaster management and the lost and found services,” Yadav said in Parliament. “Action should be initiated against officials overseeing the Maha Kumbh as well as any other official who may have tried hiding the information”.
