Akhilesh Yadav flays Adityanath government over traffic chaos in Prayagraj
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over the severe traffic congestion in Prayagraj, claiming it has led to a shortage of essential commodities and inconvenienced devotees visiting the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Hitting out at Chief Minister Adityanath, Yadav said no responsible minister or person is seen controlling the situation in Prayagraj.
The chief minister has proved to be a "complete failure", along with this the deputy chief minister while many well-known ministers related to Prayagraj are missing, the SP chief said.
"Due to traffic jam everywhere in Prayagraj, neither food grains, vegetables, spices are available nor medicines, petrol-diesel. Due to this, the condition of crores of hungry, thirsty, tired and exhausted devotees stuck in Prayagraj and Maha Kumbh premises and on the roads leading to Prayagraj is getting worse every hour. This is a very serious situation," Yadav said in a post on X.
He also posted a video with the post in which people are sharing their experiences and pointing out at the chaos.
"Just like in states, when the constitutional system fails, the command is given to someone else, similarly, seeing the chaos in Maha Kumbh, a capable person should be given the command of governance. Incompetent people can spread false propaganda, not true system," he added.
In another post, the former chief minister said, "People stuck in traffic jam are imprisoned in their vehicles for hours. There is no place even for women to meet their daily needs. There is no arrangement to take care of those who are fainting on the roads. Mobile phone batteries of devotees have run out due to which they have lost contact with their people. Due to lack of contact and information, people are getting restless."
Yadav charged that those who should have been among the public are sitting at home.
"There is no arrangement for food and water for constables, class four employees or sanitation workers who are standing day and night faithfully hungry and thirsty," Yadav alleged highlighting the situation in Prayagraj.
The officers are giving orders sitting in their rooms but are not coming down to the ground, he charged and added that residents of Prayagraj have got nothing except filth, traffic jams and price rise.
"It is heard that now the BJP is accusing the devotees that when they know that there is mismanagement everywhere, then why are the devotees coming. Some are leaving the accident victims of the state to fend for themselves and attending the ceremony in another state, some are going abroad, is anyone taking care of the devotees?" Yadav said.
According to the officials, 46.19 lakh people, including 10 lakh Kalpvasis, took dip in Sangam till 8:00 am on Monday.
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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.
