West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday doubled down on her criticism of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath over the Maha Kumbh stampede, stating that if authorities don't plan properly, then common people suffer.
Mamata Banerjee also questioned claims that this year's Maha Kumbh Mela is taking place after a gap of 144 years, urging experts to verify the accuracy of this assertion.
"Gangasagar is an annual event but Maha Kumbh takes place every 12 years. The last Kumbh Mela happened in 2014. If I am wrong then please correct me. But that this Maha Kumbh is taking place in 144 years is incorrect,” news agency PTI quoted Mamata Banerjee.
“If I am arranging for a wedding ceremony, I must do it keeping in mind the number of guests. For religious congregations, we must also follow the same planning and arrangements,” the chief minister added.
The chief minister also referred to to a fire at a private hospital in 2011 in Kolkata, in which over 100 lives were lost, saying that she was aware that if authorities didn't plan properly, common people would suffer.
{{/usCountry}}The chief minister also referred to to a fire at a private hospital in 2011 in Kolkata, in which over 100 lives were lost, saying that she was aware that if authorities didn't plan properly, common people would suffer.
{{/usCountry}}"We remained awake the entire night till the post-mortems were completed. We issued death certificates, compensation and compensatory appointment letters that very night,” she added.
The West Bengal CM also addressed a previous dig at Yogi Adityanath, where she called the Maha Kumbh after the stampede a “Mrityu Kumbh”, claiming that the UP government had suppressed the death toll in the incident.
She said, “We have talked about the (lack of) planning (in Kumbh Mela) and that statement was distorted. I have never disrespected any religion in my life and would never do so.”
Also Read: Yogi Adityanath's jibe at Maha Kumbh critics: ‘Pigs got dirt, vultures got dead bodies’
“No matter what abuses Yogi Saheb flings at me, I will not get blisters. I respect him as a chief minister,” Banerjee said as quoted by NDTV.
The West Bengal CM also highlighted that her government spoke from experience as they too arranged the Gangasagar Mela. She said, "We do not sleep for four-five days at a stretch. During Durga Puja, we keep a constant vigil till the carnival is over so that no (untoward) incident takes place as a huge number of people from different states visit the state."
Mamata Banerjee on Maha Kumbh stampede death toll
The West Bengal chief minister demanded that the UP government release the amount of compensation to the families of those killed in the stampede in Prayagraj, and provide proper death certificates as well.
"It would be my demand to the UP government, to CM Yogi Adityanath, that since they have announced ex gratia for the families of those killed in Kumbh Mela, they must immediately release the amounts to them," Banerjee said.
"There are many (Kumbh pilgrims) who have died in accidents, or while attempting to board trains and they all should be compensated," she added.
Referring to the fire in Kolkata in 2011, she also said, “The families that are affected, you have not even given postmortem certificates, or death certificates. We have conducted postmortems of the bodies that reached here (reference to the Kolkata fire). I don't know what happened in other states.”
The UP government has announced a compensation of ₹25 lakh each for the families of people who lost their lives during the stampede at the Kumbh Mela.
Mamata Banerjee's response comes a day after UP CM Yogi Adityanath, addressed criticism against his government in the state assembly and said, “Vultures got dead bodies, pigs got filth, whereas sensitive people got a beautiful picture of relationships, traders got business, devotees got clean arrangements.”