NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for the severe traffic congestion in Prayagraj, which he claimed has led to a shortage of essential goods and caused difficulties for devotees attending the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Yadav accused chief minister Yogi Adityanath of failing to manage the situation and said that no responsible official had been seen addressing the issue in Prayagraj.
“The chief minister has proved to be a ‘complete failure,'” Yadav said. “Along with him, the deputy chief minister and many well-known ministers related to Prayagraj are missing.”
Yadav also highlighted the impact of the traffic jams, saying, “Due to traffic jam everywhere in Prayagraj, neither food grains, vegetables are available nor medicines, petrol-diesel. Due to this, the condition of crores of hungry, thirsty, tired and exhausted devotees stuck in Prayagraj and Maha Kumbh premises and on the roads leading to Prayagraj is getting worse every hour. This is a very serious situation.”
He also shared a video with his post on X, showing people sharing their experiences and pointing out the chaos. “Just like in states, when the constitutional system fails, the command is given to someone else, similarly, seeing the chaos in Maha Kumbh, a capable person should be given the command of governance. Incompetent people can spread false propaganda, not true system,” he added.
Yadav also addressed the hardships faced by those stuck in traffic. “People stuck in traffic jam are imprisoned in their vehicles for hours. There is no arrangement to take care of those who are fainting on the roads. Mobile phone batteries of devotees have run out due to which they have lost contact with their loved ones. Due to lack of contact and information, people are getting restless.”
He further charged that those responsible for managing the situation were not doing their part. “There is no arrangement for food and water for constables, class four employees or sanitation workers who are standing day and night faithfully hungry and thirsty,” Yadav alleged. “The officers are giving orders sitting in their rooms but are not coming down to the ground.”
Yadav also pointed out that the residents of Prayagraj were suffering due to poor conditions. “Residents of Prayagraj have got nothing except filth, traffic jams and price rise,” he said.
The SP chief also criticized the BJP, claiming that the party was blaming devotees for the situation. “It is heard that now the BJP is accusing the devotees that when they know that there is mismanagement everywhere, then why are the devotees coming. Some are leaving the accident victims of the state to fend for themselves and attending the ceremony in another state, some are going abroad, is anyone taking care of the devotees?” Yadav added.
As of Monday morning, officials reported that 46.19 lakh people, including 10 lakh Kalpvasis, had taken a dip in the Sangam. Since the start of the Maha Kumbh Mela last month, approximately 44 crore people have participated in the ritual.
