Akhilesh Yadav Criticizes Maha Kumbh Mela Management and Calls for Extension
Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief, urges the Uttar Pradesh government to extend the Maha Kumbh Mela, accusing the BJP of underreporting attendance and mismanagement. Yadav criticizes the event's digital initiatives and the police system, highlighting failures that counter claims of a developed India.

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Akhilesh Yadav, the chief of the Samajwadi Party, has called upon the Uttar Pradesh government to consider extending the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, citing concerns about mismanagement and underreported attendance figures. He accused the BJP administration of presenting misleading statistics regarding the number of attendees at the religious gathering.
Yadav claimed that nearly 60 crore people have participated in the event so far, contrary to the government's lower figures. He expressed concerns that international scrutiny might reveal inadequate management, attributing this to the BJP's administrative shortcomings. Elderly attendees, Yadav noted, had been unable to participate fully, prompting his call for extending the Kumbh's duration.
Criticizing the event's digital handling, Yadav highlighted the ineffective use of technology and noted a massive traffic jam as an indicator of the administration's failings. This, he argued, casts doubt over the BJP's vision of a 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) and questions the state's infrastructural capabilities.
(With inputs from agencies.)