Maha Kumbh stampede: 'Shame, shame', chants opposition as Dhankhar reads out President address

New Delhi: As Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday mentioned the Maha Kumbh stampede while reading out the English version of President Droupadi Murmu's address to the joint sitting of Parliament at the start of Budget Session, some Opposition MPs chanted "shame, shame".

Murmu in her address expressed sorrow over the incident that occurred on 'Mauni Amavasya' on January 29 and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. At least 30 people were killed in the tragic incident, with the Opposition alleging that the Uttar Pradesh government is hiding the exact death toll in the incident.

“The historic festival of Maha Kumbh is also underway in the country. Maha Kumbh is a festival of India's cultural tradition and social consciousness. Millions of devotees from across the country and the world have taken the holy dip at Prayagraj. I express my sorrow over the unfortunate incident that occurred on Mauni Amavasya and wish for the speedy recovery of the injured,” she said.

When Dhankhar mentioned the Maha Kumbh stampede, the Opposition MPs chanted “shame, shame”.

Earlier when Murmu mentioned north-eastern states, a section of the Opposition MPs shouted, “Manipur, Manipur” in reference to the ethnic violence in the state that started on 3 May, 2023.

When Lok Sabha convened later to lay the President’s Speech and Economic Survey among other things, the House paid tributes to the victims of the Kumbh stampede.

Samajwadi Party chief and senior MP Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the government is hiding the number of people who died in stampede as they do not want to pay compensation.

“Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been morally gone. Now the question is when will he be politically finished? The government is hiding the number of people who died in Kumbh as they do not want to pay compensation. The families of the deceased must be informed at the earliest and a list of all those who lost their lives should be made public. It is the government's mistake. It is still hiding things,” he said but refused to allege a conspiracy behind the incident.