'45 cr devotees took dip in Sangam in 29 days', UP CM Adityanath rubbishes opposition's 'VIP bathing' jab

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that some people are trying to spread confusion by linking the Maha Kumbh to VIP bathing, but the truth is that it is a confluence of harmony and faith where devotees join hands by removing the barriers of caste, religion, language and region.

Addressing an event to mark the 57th death anniversary of Deendayal Upadhyay, Adityanath said, "Who are these people spreading negativity? These are the same people who took VVIP treatment from the government throughout their lives and tried to pave a path for their future generations. These are people who stand against India and Sanatan Dharma by creating negativity and spreading false propaganda."

The chief minister's remarks came amid opposition leaders accusing the Uttar Pradesh government of "mismanagement" and "VIP culture" after at least 30 devotees were killed in a pre-dawn stampede in Prayagraj on January 29.

To mark the occasion, Adityanath paid floral tributes to Upadhyay and underlined the relevance of his thoughts, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement.

"In Prayagraj, 45 crore devotees have taken the dip of faith in the Sangam in 29 days, which is historic. Other than India and China, no country in the world has a population of 45 crore. What can be bigger than 45 crore devotees coming to take a dip in a temporary city?

"Some people are trying to spread confusion by linking it to VIP bathing, but the truth is that Maha Kumbh is a confluence of harmony and faith, where all devotees join together by eliminating the discriminations of caste, religion, language and region." Upadhyay was the founder-member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh -- the forerunner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- and pioneer of Antyodaya and the integral humanism philosophy, the statement said.

Recalling his ideals, Adityanath said the welfare and development of the person sitting on the last rung of the society was the dream of Upadhyay.

"Today, the double-engine government of the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fulfilling Pandit Upadhyay's dreams," Adityanath said.

"Pandit Upadhyay was of the opinion that the progress of any country should not be measured by the prosperity of the person standing on the top rung, but by the standard of living of the person standing on the last row," he said.

The chief minister also said that the previous governments gave big slogans to eradicate poverty but the number of poor continued to increase.

The Modi government, on the other hand, worked to empower the poor in the last 11 years, Adityanath said, mentioning schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, Jal Jeevan Mission, and Ayushman Bharat.

He also said that whenever a new scheme is launched, some people make it a habit to find faults.

"When we give houses to four crore people, they say there are still many left. I want to tell them that three crore more houses have been approved. Those who enjoyed VIP facilities earlier are the ones questioning the facilities being provided to the common people today," the chief minister said.