Lucknow: Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday urged the government to increase the duration of the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. Taking to X, Yadav claimed that the duration this year’s duration is shorter as compared to previous Maha Kumbhs and Kumbh Melas when the same lasted for 75 days.
He added that due to ‘poor arrangements’ at the Maha Kumbh and with devotees forced to walk for 20 kilometres, many elderly could not visit Sangam for the holy dip. The Lok Sabha MP also accused the government of trying to hide its shortcomings in organising the mega event.
‘Lakhs of elderly could not come’
“Due to the poor arrangements of the fair and being forced to walk for 20 kilometers, lakhs of elderly people could not come here. Due to high prices, the poor could not reach here. And even lakhs of residents of Prayagraj could not take bath due to traffic jam and guests,” Yadav wrote.
हमारा तो मानना है कि महाकुंभ में लगभग 60 करोड़ लोग स्नान कर चुके हैं। सरकार इसलिए आँकड़ा घटाकर दिखा रही है क्योंकि कल को जब इंटरनेशनल मीडिया या यूनिवर्सिटी इस मेले के Administration & Management के बारे में Study करेगा तो पाएगा कि जितने लोग आए थे, उनके हिसाब से उचित प्रशासन और…
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) February 15, 2025
He added, “We demand that the arrangements in the fair should be extended for a few more days so that the elderly, poor, or Prayagraj residents who have been deprived of bathing can get an opportunity to earn merit.
Govt showing low figures of devotees: Akhilesh Yadav
Accusing the government of deliberately trying to show low figures of devotees visiting Sangam, he added, “We believe that about 60 crore people have taken bath in Maha Kumbh. The government is showing a reduced figure because tomorrow when the international media or university will study the administration and management of this fair, they will find that proper administration and management was not done according to the number of people who came.
“They may say anything about the fair from the stage, but deep down they also know that their shortcomings were behind the failure of the fair, due to which the image of UP has been greatly hurt in the country and the world,” Yadav added while hitting out at the government.
