Adityanath govt not revealing correct death toll in Kumbh stampede, facing moral defeat: Akhilesh
Lucknow, Jan 31 (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday blamed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for the stampede in the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj two days ago and accused it of hiding its failures.
Accusing the government of lying about the deaths in the Maha Kumbh stampede, he claimed that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath faced moral defeat and would be defeated politically too in the polls.
On Wednesday tragedy struck between 1 am and 2 am at the religious congregation in Prayagraj when a huge crowd broke through barriers and trampled over devotees who had been waiting overnight at the ghats to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar.
Nearly 18 hours after the incident, the Mela administration, in a brief press conference, confirmed that 30 people had died and 60 were injured in the stampede. A judicial inquiry has been ordered.
In a statement by the Samajwadi Party, its chief Akhilesh Yadav said, "The stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj happened due to the government's mistake. The BJP government is hiding its failure. It is not revealing the correct number of people who lost their lives in the stampede... so that it does not have to pay compensation. This is the government's insensitivity."
"Now even saints and religious leaders are speaking openly about the mismanagement at the Maha Kumbh and the lies of the government. Saints and seers are also saddened by the lies of the chief minister. The government is lying. The families are worried for their loved ones," he charged.
Yadav claimed that the BJP and the chief minister have lost the trust of the common people.
"This is their moral defeat. When saints and seers are also saying that the chief minister is a liar, then what can be a bigger defeat for him?" the SP chief asked.
Targeting Adityanath, the SP chief said, "The chief minister has already gone morally, now he will go politically as well. The Maha Kumbh incident is a complete failure of the government. The stampede happened at the place where the general public goes for bathing. The government should first make public the complete information of all the missing people and the dead."
"A list should be released so that the worried and grieving family members can get the correct information. Along with this, the government should make arrangements to send all the bodies to their homes in a dignified manner."
"The government had distributed invitations for the Maha Kumbh. It was said that 40 to 45 crore people will be allowed to take baths. It was claimed that world-class arrangements would be made. What were the arrangements when the invitations were given?" Yadav said, and added that even now lakhs of people and vehicles are stranded on the roads.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
