Yogi Adityanath administration lied about the actual casualties in Kumbh Mela stampede, says UP Congress chief
NEW DELHI — Accusing the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh of desecrating the sanctity of the holy city of Ayodhya, the Congress on Thursday expressed its dismay that the city has now turned into a liquor hub. It also accused the government of lying about the number of casualties during the recent Kumbh Mela stampede.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai disclosed that an umpteen number of liquor shops had been opened in the birthplace of Lord Ram by the government that claims to be his (Lord Ram’s) followers.
Rai also played a news report by a leading YouTube channel showing how liquor vends had been opened in almost every nook and corner of the holy city. This, he pointed out, was despite the ban imposed by the Municipal Corporation on the sale and supply of liquor within a 13 km radius of the holy city.
The state Congress president also referred to the underreporting of deaths, which took place during the Kumbh stampede. Quoting a leading news organisation report, he said, 82 people were killed, while the government tried to hush up the figures and claimed only 37 casualties. He disclosed that the government, to hide the actual tally, completely denied the 19 deaths that occurred during the Mahakumbh stampede; there is no record of them, no compensation was given to their kin, and they were not mentioned anywhere, as if they never existed.
Apart from this, KN Vasudevacharya, the younger brother of former BJP General Secretary Govindacharya, was declared to have no legal heir and was cremated like an unclaimed body, Rai said.
The Congress leader expressed shock that all this was happening under a government that was headed by a saffron-clad person who claims to be the guardian of Hindutva.
He said the BJP government has hurt the religious sentiments of people by allowing liquor shops in the holy city of Ayodhya and has also betrayed them by concealing the deaths of those who had come with faith to take a holy dip during the Kumbh mela.
