Mallikarjun Kharge's tribute to Maha Kumbh stampede victim sparks row: ‘Thousands died’
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the number was his estimate and that if he was wrong, the government should provide the exact figure.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's tribute to Maha Kumbh stampede victims on Monday created controversy in the Rajya Sabha.
The stampede took place on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar, in which at least 30 people lost their lives and 60 were injured in a pre-dawn stampede at Sangam area in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on January 29.
Participating in a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge used the phrase "thousands who died in Kumbh" to pay tributes to the deceased in the stampede. Follow Parliament LIVE updates.
"I pay my tributes to the people who died in Maha Kumbh... the thousands who died in Kumbh," news agency PTI quoted Kharge saying that led to the protest by the ruling members.
After chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked him to retract the statement, Kharge quickly added that the number was his estimate and that if it was wrong, the government should provide the exact figure. He also said he was ready to be corrected.
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“This is my estimate (and) if this is not right, you (the government) should tell what is the truth,” Kharge told the House.
“I did not say 'thousands' to blame anyone. But how many people died, give that information at least. I will apologise if I am wrong. They should give figures of how many died, how many are missing,” he was quoted as saying.
Dhankar said Kharge's statement has “numbed” everyone in the House.
"The LoP has indicated a scenario using figures to the extent of thousands. I appeal to him, in this House, whatever is spoken, carries great weight. You have spoken something which has numbed everyone," Dhankhar said.
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"A message that goes from here, even if it is contradicted, goes to the whole world. Can you go to that extent? I would appeal to you as one of senior most leaders of this country, if you put a figure in thousands I can only appeal to your conscious," he added, according to PTI.
Kharge, however, said he did not mention the figure to blame anyone.
Further, terming the development as a “very sad moment”, Dhankar urged Kharge to withdraw his statement. However, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha insisted the government give the correct figures and continued with his speech.
