'Attempts have been made to defame Kumbh Melas': UP CM Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath discussed the perception of the Kumbh Mela across the world on Monday, stating that it was witnessed as a form of 'chaos' in the West. Yogi Adityanath said that instead of highlighting the coordination efforts of the world's largest religious gathering, attempts were made to defame it. Similar efforts were made to malign the Haridwar Kumbh this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted. 

Addressing a programme on World Tourism Day, Yogi Aditynath said, "The heritage of Kumbh spanning over thousands of years may have been linked to faith in the country. But what was the point of view of the world? If you see the write-up of the West towards the Kumbh before 2019, it was in the form of chaos (''bhagdarh''), disorder (''avyavasthaa''), dirt (''gandagi'') and anarchy (''arajaktaa''). Instead of mutual co-ordination, there were mutual differences. Attempts were made to defame it,"

"You have seen how much mischief was done in the Haridwar Kumbh this year. But under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we got the opportunity to organise a ''divya Kumbh'' and ''bhavya Kumbh'' (divine and grand Kumbh)," Yogi Adityanath added.

Discussing the tourism points of the mammoth gathering, the UP CM said that the 2019 Kumbh Mela held in Allahabad had seen over 24 crore devotees. "It is a big medium for employment creation and a powerful medium to take the economy forward," he said.

Kumbh Mela scare

Earlier this year, criticism mounted against the Kumbh Mela after a total of 1,701 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the Haridwar Kumbh Mela area from April 10 to 14. Medical workers conducted 2,36,751 tests over the five-day period in the mela site to check the spread of the infection. The numbers stoked fears that one of the world's largest religious gatherings may contribute further to the rapid rise in Coronavirus cases. This came even as devotees were urged to produce COVID-negative reports.

Amid the scare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an appeal to call of the Kumbh Mela before April 30 noting that it would strengthen the ongoing fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. With several saints testing positive for COVID-19, Niranjani Akhada secretary Ravindra Puri respected the PM's decision and announced the end of the gathering on April 17.

(With Agency Inputs)