"Point Of Going To The Moon?" Akhilesh Yadav's Swipe Over Maha Kumbh

The issue of massive traffic jams - stretching to around 300km, according to some reports, as devotees continue to rush to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh - was raised in Parliament Monday afternoon.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav took a jab at the 'double-engine government', blaming the BJP, in power in Uttar Pradesh and at the centre, for the traffic chaos.

"... devotees going to the Kumbh were stuck in a 300km-long traffic jam. Is this 'Viksit Bharat'? In which the government cannot even manage traffic? What is the point of going to the Moon when we cannot settle issues on Earth," he asked, slamming the 'double blunders' from the BJP.

"क्या यही विकसित भारत की तस्वीर होगी जिसमें आप ट्रैफिक मैनेज नहीं कर पा रहे। चांद पर पहुंचने का क्या फायदा जब जमीन की समस्याएं ना दिखती हो आपको।"

- माननीय राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष श्री अखिलेश यादव जी pic.twitter.com/Tdmq9Q9KvZ

— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) February 11, 2025

"They (the BJP) claim they have 'double-engine government' in UP... but the 'double-engine government' is doing 'double blunders'," the Samajwadi Party MP said sarcastically.

"अगर उत्तर प्रदेश को देखते हैं तो वहां पर जो डबल इंजन की सरकार चल रही है वह डबल ब्लंडर कर रही है।"

- माननीय राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष श्री अखिलेश यादव जी pic.twitter.com/zI89X0CigW

— Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) February 11, 2025

Over the past 48 hours, thousands of devotees looking to reach Prayagraj, earlier called Allahabad, by road, were left stranded on roads due to the large traffic jams.

READ | 300km Traffic Jam To Maha Kumbh? Vehicles Stuck For 48 Hours

A person travelling from Ayodhya told news agency PTI his family and he had been forced to spend the night in their car, having covered only 40km over several hours, while another said a journey that normally takes four to five hours was then taking over 12 hours.

READ | "12 Hours For Four-Hour Trip": Traffic Jams In Prayagraj Amid Kumbh

Mr Yadav also hit out at the BJP over earlier claims about administration and management of the Kumbh, including the use of drones to monitor the gathering of lakhs of devotees.

"I want to ask... where are those drones now? Claims about digitisation (of records) and, even then, they are not able to give figures of those who died, or are lost, during Maha Kumbh."

Mr Yadav has been leading criticism of the ruling party over its management of the Maha Kumbh, including demanding confirmation of deaths from last month's stampede.

Last week he demanded answers from the state government, saying, "We question this 'double-engine government'. If there is no guilty conscience... why were numbers (of dead) suppressed and hidden? Hiding the truth is a crime. Who will serve the punishment for this?"

READ | "Engines Colliding?" Akhilesh Yadav Uses BJP Slogan To Jab Yogi

And, in a direct attack on Yogi Adityanath, he said the Chief Minister had not expressed grief over the deaths, or even confirmed fatalities, till after the Prime Minister and the President did so.

Tragedy struck on the banks of the Ganga at Prayagraj when the rush for the 'holy dip' led to a stampede on January 29. After a long silence over the number of deaths, police put the number at 30 dead and 60 injured. Critics have, however, claimed that the actual figure is much higher.

With input from agencies

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