Debate With Arnab: Huge Political Blame Game Over Tragic Stampede At Mahakumbh
The opposition on Wednesday hit out at the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government over the Maha Kumbh stampede, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying that mismanagement and administration's special focus on VIP movement were responsible for the tragic incident. Gandhi also said "VIP culture" should be reined in and the government should make better arrangements to fulfil the needs of common devotees at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said "half-baked arrangements, VIP movement, paying more attention to self-promotion and mismanagement are responsible for this". Such arrangements despite spending thousands of crores of rupees are condemnable, he said. Opposition leaders in Uttar Pradesh targeted the Adityanath government over the stampede. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav demanded that the management of the world's largest religious event should be immediately handed over to the army. Yadav also said that those who claimed "world-class arrangements" in the Maha Kumbh should resign from their posts taking moral responsibility for the stampede. "In order to re-establish faith in the system among the saint community and devotees who have come to the Maha Kumbh, it is necessary that the administration and management of the Maha Kumbh should be immediately handed over to the army instead of the UP government," he said on X.