New Delhi [India], February 1 : Following the Samajwadi Party MPs walkout from the Lok Sabha during the Union Budget presentation, party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday emphasized that the lives lost in the Mahakumbh stampede are more significant than budgetary figures.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2025 in the Lok Sabha today outlining a roadmap for India's continued economic expansion, emphasizing agriculture, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), investment, and exports.
Speaking to the media, Yadav criticized the government over the handling of the Maha Kumbh, stating that the death toll from the recent stampede is being misreported.
"Maha Kumbh comes after 12 years. For us, the data of people who died in the stampede in Maha Kumbh is more important than the budget data. The government is not able to tell how many people died, went missing or got injured. The death toll that has been given by the government is false... What arrangements have you made? This government says that we are a party of Hindus but they are not able to make arrangements for this biggest festival of Hindus," he said.
"Is this your definition of a Viksit Bharat that people will die in a stampede," Yadav criticized further.
The stampede occurred during the Mauni Amavasya bathing ritual on Wednesday and resulted in the death of 30 people and left 60 others injured.
A three-member judicial commission, formed to investigate the stampede that occurred during the Mauni Amavasya bathing ritual on Wednesday, visited Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in Prayagraj.
The commission is tasked with examining the causes and circumstances of the tragedy and will submit its report within a month.
Meanwhile, over 5.42 million devotees took dip on Saturday in the sacred confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mystical Saraswati in the ongoing Mahakumbh in Prayagraj.
Among these, over 1 million Kalpavasis and 4.42 million pilgrims have taken a dip in the Triveni waters today.
As of January 31, over 314.6 million have already taken a dip in the sacred confluence of three rivers since the commencement of the event.
Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13, will continue till February 26. The remaining significant 'snan' dates in Maha Kumbh are February 3 (Basant Panchami--Third Shahi Snan), February 12 (Maghi Purnima), and February 26 (Maha Shivaratri).