Saroja and Kanchan Kopde react outside a hospital mortuary following a stampede that occurred at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
Credit: Reuters Photo
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath several times on Wednesday morning to review the situation as the Prayagraj administration intensified efforts to manage the crowds gathered for Mauni Amavasya at the Maha Kumbh.
Condoling the deaths in the stampede, the prime minister said the “local administration is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way”.
“In this regard, I have spoken to Chief Minister Yogi ji and I am constantly in touch with the state government,” he added in a post on X.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that he was in constant touch with the UP CM.
The Opposition, while expressing grief over the loss of lives, held the administration accountable for the tragic incident. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said that the focus on the VIP movement rather than common pilgrims could have contributed to the stampede.
“VIP culture should be curbed and the government should make better arrangements to meet the needs of common devotees,” Rahul wrote on X, urging the government to improve Kumbh management to avoid the recurrence of such incidents ahead of other ‘maha snans’.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge lashed out at the BJP government in UP for what he called “half-baked arrangements, VIP movement, and mismanagement”.
In poll-bound Delhi, former CM and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal appealed to all devotees to maintain patience and be cautious. “Follow the instructions of the administration and take care of each other’s safety,” he urged.
Former deputy CM Manish Sisodia was more critical of the Kumbh management. “Will the BJP, which is immersed in self-praise that “there are excellent arrangements in Kumbh” by showing pictures of special arrangements made for VVIP people, now take responsibility for these deaths?” he posted on X.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the management of the Kumbh should be handed over to the army to instill confidence among the devotees. “Now that the truth of ‘world-class system’ has been exposed, those making these claims and spreading false propaganda should take moral responsibility and resign,” Yadav said.
BSP chief Mayawati condoled the deaths.