Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 23 : BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi launched a sharp attack on Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav over his remarks on the Maha Kumbh, accusing him of disrespecting Sanatana Dharma and misleading people about the sacred event.
"These are the same people who used to call Sanatana Dharma as corona, virus, bacteria, HIV...The fact is that they are dirty from the inside, not the water. Around 60 crore people have taken the holy dip till now. If the water is really dirty, at least 10% of the total people would have fallen sick. Even if one per cent falls sick which is 60 lakh, then it will be a hue and cry in the whole nation. So this shows, 'Man Maila Aur Tan Ko Dhoye '," he said.
Defending the organization of the Kumbh Mela, he highlighted the massive turnout at the religious gathering.
Trivedi's remarks come after Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday slammed the BJP over the handling of the economy and the Mahakumbh event in Prayagraj.
He alleged that the government has failed to deliver on its promises, including doubling incomes and creating new jobs. He also expressed concern over the arrangements made for the Kumbh, citing issues with food, stampedes, and accidents.
"...The dream that the government showed of making a 1 trillion-dollar economy has failed...the poor people are not able to understand what this game of million trillion is...The promises that were made to the people that their income would be doubled, the youth should get new jobs, and businesses and big industries should be set up, but everything has failed," said Yadav.
Yadav's criticism didn't stop there. He also expressed concern over the January 29 stampede at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, which resulted in casualties of 30 people.
"This government has crossed all limits of corruption and injustice, and when they wanted to hide everything, they organised Maha Kumbh. This Kumbh takes place every twelve years. This is nothing new, but the BJP invested so much money, did so much publicity, invited people, and after that, left them...," said the SP chief.
"The government should have made the arrangements because they kept saying that they had made arrangements for one hundred crore people...what kind of arrangement has the government made? People could not get food anywhere, people lost their lives in the stampede, accidents are happening...I would say the dates should be extended, many people have not taken a bath yet...," added Akhilesh Yadav.
The Mahakumbh Mela, which started on January 13, will continue till February 26 on the occasion of Maha Shivratri.