The Maha Kumbh stampede was not a “big incident” and is being “exaggerated”, BJP MP Hema Malini said on Tuesday asserting the congregation is being managed very well. The stampede took place on January 29, the occasion of Mauni Amavasya , one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar. According to official figures released by the Uttar Pradesh government, at least 30 people lost their lives and 60 were injured in the pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area in Prayagraj.
“We had gone to Kumbh… We had a nice bath… Everything was well managed. It is right that the incident (stampede) took place … Itna kuch bada nahi hua tha (it was not a very big incident). I don’t know how big it was. It is being exaggerated… It was very well-managed, and everything was done very well… So many people are coming, it is very difficult to manage but we are doing our best…,” Malini told reporters in the Parliament House complex. The actor-turned politician had also taken a dip during Maha Kumbh on the day of stampede.
Asked about Opposition members alleging that the government was hiding the number of deaths in the stampede, she said, “They will say whatever they want to… It is their job to say wrong things.”
The stampede tragedy at the Maha Kumbh continued to resonate in both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the government was hiding the number of deaths in the stampede and demanded strict action against those trying to cover up the “mis-management” in organising the fair. Trinamool Congress member Saugata Roy said the deaths in a stampede at the ongoing Kumbh was one of the worst tragedies in independent India. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and other Opposition leaders on Monday raised the issue in Parliament demanding a list of the deceased. The ruling BJP, on the other hand, said it smelt a conspiracy behind the stampede and that those responsible for it will have to hang their heads in shame once the probe is over.