PRAYAGRAJ (UP): In his first visit to the Maha Kumbh after the January 29 stampede, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Saturday praised the saints for “acting with such restraint” that day as he took a veiled potshot at political opponents, saying they tried to besmirch the glory of the mega event so that it “becomes a matter of great global embarrassment”.
He said this soon after conducting an aerial survey of pilgrim management measures at the Maha Kumbh venue ahead of the February 3 Basant Panchami Amrit snan.
After landing in Prayagraj, he directly headed to Sangam Nose, the site of the stampede, to inspect it. He was briefed by Mela Officer Vijay Kiran Anand and DIG Vaibhav Krishna about the incident.
According to official figures, 30 people died and at least 60 were injured in the stampede on Mauni Amavasya.
“On the Mauni Amavasya day during the Amrit Snan, a tragedy unfolded here, and I must compliment the saints and seers on how, under testing circumstances, they acted with such restraint. Faced with the challenge that was there in front of all of us, as some ‘punyatma’ (blessed souls) became victims of a ‘hadsa’ (accident). But the saints acted in much the same way then as a family elder reacts when their family is confronted with some problem,” Adityanath said while addressing a meeting of saints at the Maha Kumbh.
“The family elders remain patient whenever their family faces some challenge. Instead, the elders negotiate the challenge and ensure that the problem is resolved. You must have seen that some opponents of Sanatan Dharma were trying to test the patience of the saints so that the issue (stampede ahead of big Mauni Amavasya Amrit snan) becomes a matter of great global embarrassment,” he said.
The opposition has been criticising Adityanath’s government’s handling and management of the Maha Kumbh and has demanded that the Kumbh management be handed over to the Army.
It has also alleged that the government was concealing figures, a charge that ran parallel to some media reports about more than one stampede taking place at the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday.
“I would thus like to greatly appreciate all the saints that the saints paid homage to the blessed souls who lost their lives and also performed their religious obligations towards Ma Ganga and to ensure that the Maha Kumbh continued,” Adityanath said.
He was referring to the seers and all the 13 Akharas agreeing to postpone their early morning snan on Mauni Amavasya and taking the dip only when the crowd pressure decreased.
The seers also regularly appealed to the devotees to guard against panic and not to concentrate on taking a dip only at Sangam Nose.
Adityanath credited the saints for their actions and admitted that they have played a big role in the huge pilgrim turnout at the Maha Kumbh since January 13, when the Maha Kumbh that would continue till February 26 began.
“We would also have to guard against those who are trying to mislead (masses) – on all issues pertaining to Sanatan and never feel shy of conspiracy. And this is not just about now, but this trend has been continuing since the days of the Ram Janambhoomi agitation. The respected saints had witnessed their behaviour and character then and now too. We need to guard against such people. Till the time there is respect for saints, the Sanatan Dharma will remain, and this Dharma is essential for the survival of mankind,” he said.
“In the last 19 days, as many as 32 crore devotees have visited the Maha Kumbh. All those who have visited here are singing paeans about Sanatan Dharma, the arrangements, and other things. This is not praise of any individual but of the eternal Sanatan,” Adityanath said.
He also reviewed the preparations for the upcoming Basant Panchami Amrit Snan and issued necessary instructions to ensure proper arrangements.
On his way back from the incident site, he interacted with thousands of devotees, personally approaching the barricades to check on their well-being.
The devotees greeted him with chants of “Har Har Mahadev,” “Jai Shri Ram,” and “Jai Ganga Maiya”, a government statement said. (PTI)