Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath hit back at his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee over her 'Mrityu Kumbh' remark on Maha Kumbh Mela.
“People who were unable to control the disturbance ('upadrav') during Holi, had said that the Maha Kumbh of Prayagraj was a 'Mrityu Kumbh'. But, we said that this is not 'Mrityu' (death), it is 'Mrityunjay' (victory over death) It is a Maha Kumbh,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"For the first time, people came to the Maha Kumbh from Tamil Nadu. Devotees also came from Kerala. The population of Uttar Pradesh is 25 crores, and Holi celebrations also concluded peacefully here. But in West Bengal, several disturbances took place during Holi," he added.
On the occasion of Holi on March 14, a 20-year-old youth was killed in a scuffle during celebrations in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.
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Three to four youths had accosted the deceased, Akash Choudhury alias Amar, while he was celebrating Holi with his friends near his home in Titagarh. An official said that as a tiff broke out, Amar was repeatedly stabbed in his neck and other parts of the body by the assailants.
The incident had sparked a row across the state and the nation amid Holi celebrations and over the same issue, Adityanath hit out at Mamata Banerjee.
{{/usCountry}}The incident had sparked a row across the state and the nation amid Holi celebrations and over the same issue, Adityanath hit out at Mamata Banerjee.
{{/usCountry}}Previously, Banerjee had slammed the Uttar Pradesh administration over its alleged mismanagement during the Maha Kumbh Mela, which led to the major stampede at the Sangam and resulted in the death of 30 persons.
She had said that the Maha Kumbh had turned into a "Mrityu Kumbh" due to such incidents, claiming that the actual death toll was being hidden by the authorities.
“They have hidden hundreds of bodies to bring down the toll. The Maha Kumbh has turned into a Mrityu Kumbh under the BJP rule,” Banerjee had said in the West Bengal assembly.
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The UP CM noted that each day of the Maha Kumbh mela witnessed 50,000 to 1 lakh people from West Bengal coming to Prayagraj to take part in the spiritual gathering.