Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Yadav on Tuesday condemned the Uttar Pradesh government over the stampede deaths that occurred during the Mahakumbh and demanded the government’s resignation. Yadav alleged that government funds had been misused for public relations (PR) purposes. He also criticized the government for not acknowledging the tragedy and failing to report the accurate number of casualties.
Yadav emphasized, “Government’s money has been misused for PR, such a government should resign. There is no mention of 144 years anywhere in the scriptures.”
Meanwhile, other SP leaders staged a protest in front of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly against the stampede deaths at the Mahakumbh. SP leader Ashutosh Sinha expressed strong disapproval, saying, “The Uttar Pradesh government organized the Mahakumbh, but due to mismanagement, many people lost their lives. The government is not even releasing the number of deaths. They give daily numbers on how many people bathed but can’t provide figures for the casualties.”
Sinha also symbolically brought the “ashes of the government’s ethics,” highlighting the government’s failure, stating, “We have come here with the asthiya of Sarkar ki netikta (the ashes of the government’s ethics), because the ethics of the government are dead.”
The protests came as the budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly was about to begin. On the upcoming budget, Sinha criticized the government for its failures, adding, “The government had publicized and made so many promises about the Mahakumbh, but they have failed. The stampede that occurred during Mauni Amavasya and their claims about a digital kumbh are now in question, as they still haven’t revealed the number of deaths that occurred.”
SP leader Ravidas Mehrotra also expressed concerns, saying, “We will protest during the Governor’s address as she will falsely praise the government… This government used to leak exam papers earlier, and now even the governor’s speech has been leaked. This government has failed on all fronts.”
The opposition has continued to voice its discontent with the government’s handling of the situation at the Mahakumbh, urging accountability for the tragic events.