The Uttar Pradesh Congress questioned the Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh on its alleged mismanagement in organising the Mahakumbh with deficient preparations.

At a press conference here on Thursday, State Congress President Ajay Rai and party’s MP from Prayagraj Ujjwal Raman Singh accused the government and the entire bureaucracy of ignoring the saints and devotees to accommodate VIP guests.

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“While the UP government is busy welcoming and taking photographs with VIPs, the common devotees are facing enormous inconvenience,” they alleged.

Ajay Rai charged the government with corruption in the allocation of budget for the Mahakumbh.

Questioning the cabinet meeting at the Mahakumbh venue, Ajay Rai said it was held at the sacred confluence of faith and spirituality. Enacting the drama, the state government has turned the Mahakumbh into an event which is against the traditions.

“Giving contracts to Gujarati companies reflects corruption. By holding cabinet meetings in Mahakumbh, the government has sent out the message that religious and faith-based events are not immune from politics,” he said.

Congress Lok Sabha member Ujjwal Raman Singh, while attacking the government on corruption, said the foundation of corruption had been laid long ago when the wooden sleepers worth Rs 200 crore, which is required in building pontoon bridges, were supplied by the forest departments of the state governments. But this time, private firms supplied these poor quality sleepers, which cracked even before the mela started.

Ujjwal Raman Singh said in the 2019 Kumbh, it was said by the BJP government that the metro would start running by Mahakumbh 2025, but the whereabouts of the metro are not known as yet.They claimed about the six-lane bridge on the Ganga river will be ready before the Kumbh, this too remained incomplete. The brunt of this fell on the state treasury when steel worth Rs 60 crores was purchased.  The bridge was constructed at the same place for only 60 days. Who is responsible for this loss, he asked.

Questioning the preparations for Mahakumbh, the MP said road construction fell prey to corruption. In every Kumbh, the streets and drains of the localities were constructed. This time even the main road and intersection were not touched. Due to the government’s mismanagement, people are facing problems after walking 20 kilometers each.

The situation is such that the facilities for the Tirtha priests and Kalpavasis have been cut, the Tirtha priests have been allotted places of worship away from the Sangam, due to which the devotees are facing inconvenience.

MP Ujjwal Raman Singh said due to the negligence of the government, lakhs of people, including children, women and the elderly, are covering the distance from the railway station and bus station on foot. There is no arrangement for drinking water, access to toilets, and restrooms for the devotees. The government allocates a budget for every Kumbh. Why then was the work not done or delayed? So that the budget could be wasted at the last minute, he charged.

The Congress MP said while the government held the cabinet meeting at the Mahakumbh site, Prayagraj has not got any benefit from it, nor did it get any refinery. The refinery whose foundation stone was laid went to Andhra Pradesh, due to the indifference of the officials.

“The entire Prayagraj is struggling with the traffic jams. Instead of the voices of saints, hooters of VIPs are being heard. The VIPs should also go on foot to Mahakumbh,” he demanded, adding that due to the grace of God, not much loss has been incurred due to the fire in Mahakumbh. The indomitable courage of the firemen who extinguished the fire was the saving grace.

MP Ujjwal Raman Singh, while cautioning the government, said four times more people would come on Mauni Amavasya than the previous bath. Preparations need to be made properly so that the devotees don’t have to face inconvenience till Basant Panchami. All VIP entry should be closed so that the government could focus on the common devotees.

A video documentary was also shown in the press meet on the chaos in the Mahakumbh and the problems faced by the saints and devotees.