Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s disclosure, about the reason behind why he chose to downplay initial reports about the stampede at Maha Kumbh on Mauni Amavasya morning, should be an eyeopener for his critics. Yogi said, he did not want panic among millions of devotees who had thronged the city and on its outskirts. In times of crisis, Yogi said, a true leader is tested and tough decisions had to be taken and he did that. Yogi replied to allegations made by Akhilesh Yadav and other opposition leaders that the exact death toll in the stampede was kept under wraps. The stampede took place at 1.30 am and till 9 am, Yogi remained silent. The chief minister explained whenever a stampede occurs, one must never lose patience. There were nearly 4 crore devotees in Kumbh Mela area and another 8 crore in Prayagraj city. Had the news spread about the death toll in stampede, there could have been panic and the matter could have gone out of control. Yogi said, the first task was to ensure safe return of devotees who had taken a dip, and the authorities stopped more than 2 crore devotees pouring in from neighbouring districts from entering Prayagraj. Yogi was addressing Indian Institute of Management experts and Indian Postal Service officials about Maha Kumbh arrangements. His disclosures were specific. Yogi said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had wanted the Maha Kumbh to be the largest congregation of devotees, unprecedented in history. The CM then explained all the nitty-gritties that were addressed, like ensuring quality of Ganga water, training of policemen, erecting lakhs of toilets and deploying thousands of sanitation workers. The biggest risk was a possibility of any terror attack. To describe the seriousness of this risk, I would like to mention here that Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad picked up an ISI module operative from Faridabad on Monday. The terrorist admitted that he had been sent to blow up the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. I remember, when I visited the Maha Kumbh to record a TV show with Yogi Adityanath, I had asked him about the possibility of a terror attack on Maha Kumbh. Yogi replied, as long as Modi is Prime Minister, we must not worry about external danger. His only worry was about how to avoid any untoward incident at the Maha Kumbh, for which CCTV and drone cameras were deployed for surveillance. Yogi’s determination paid dividends. The entire world watched in astonishment how more than half a billion people came to Maha Kumbh for 45 days and arrangements were made with precision. The world media and newspapers praised the arrangements made at Maha Kumbh. Yogi Adityanath read out all those news headlines on Monday. Yet, there are people in our country who do not trust all that is said in media. They remain cynical. I think, after going through those foreign media headlines, they may realize that the success of Maha Kumbh was a matter of pride for India.OPINION | Yogi’s disclosures about Maha Kumbh stampede, an eyeopener
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s disclosure, about the reason behind why he chose to downplay initial reports about the stampede at Maha Kumbh on Mauni Amavasya morning, should be an eyeopener for his critics. Yogi said, he did not want panic among millions of devotees who had thronged the city and on its outskirts. In times of crisis, Yogi said, a true leader is tested and tough decisions had to be taken and he did that. Yogi replied to allegations made by Akhilesh Yadav and other opposition leaders that the exact death toll in the stampede was kept under wraps. The stampede took place at 1.30 am and till 9 am, Yogi remained silent. The chief minister explained whenever a stampede occurs, one must never lose patience. There were nearly 4 crore devotees in Kumbh Mela area and another 8 crore in Prayagraj city. Had the news spread about the death toll in stampede, there could have been panic and the matter could have gone out of control. Yogi said, the first task was to ensure safe return of devotees who had taken a dip, and the authorities stopped more than 2 crore devotees pouring in from neighbouring districts from entering Prayagraj. Yogi was addressing Indian Institute of Management experts and Indian Postal Service officials about Maha Kumbh arrangements. His disclosures were specific. Yogi said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had wanted the Maha Kumbh to be the largest congregation of devotees, unprecedented in history. The CM then explained all the nitty-gritties that were addressed, like ensuring quality of Ganga water, training of policemen, erecting lakhs of toilets and deploying thousands of sanitation workers. The biggest risk was a possibility of any terror attack. To describe the seriousness of this risk, I would like to mention here that Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad picked up an ISI module operative from Faridabad on Monday. The terrorist admitted that he had been sent to blow up the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. I remember, when I visited the Maha Kumbh to record a TV show with Yogi Adityanath, I had asked him about the possibility of a terror attack on Maha Kumbh. Yogi replied, as long as Modi is Prime Minister, we must not worry about external danger. His only worry was about how to avoid any untoward incident at the Maha Kumbh, for which CCTV and drone cameras were deployed for surveillance. Yogi’s determination paid dividends. The entire world watched in astonishment how more than half a billion people came to Maha Kumbh for 45 days and arrangements were made with precision. The world media and newspapers praised the arrangements made at Maha Kumbh. Yogi Adityanath read out all those news headlines on Monday. Yet, there are people in our country who do not trust all that is said in media. They remain cynical. I think, after going through those foreign media headlines, they may realize that the success of Maha Kumbh was a matter of pride for India.
