Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP chief Mayawati on Saturday demanded strict action against Suraj Pal Singh, the self-styled godman who is worshipped by his followers as 'Bhole Baba', in the Hathras stampede tragedy that claimed 121 lives.
The BSP chief also advised the poor, Dalits, and the oppressed in the country not to get misled by the superstition and hypocrisy of "babas".
"The poor, Dalits, and the oppressed in the country should not increase their pain and suffer by getting misled by the superstition and hypocrisy of many Babas like Bhole Baba of Hathras to get rid of their poverty and all other problems, this is the advice," she posted on X.
"Rather, by following the path shown by Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, they will have to change their own destiny by taking power into their own hands, that is, they will have to join their own party BSP, only then they can avoid incidents like Hathras in which 121 people died, which is very worrying," Mayawati added.
She further said that the government should not be lax in such situations and take strict action against the guilty.
"In the Hathras case, strict action should be taken against Baba Bhole and others who are guilty. Action should be taken against other such Babas as well. In this case, the government should not be lax in its political interests so that no more people have to lose their lives," the BSF chief wrote on X.
Meanwhile, the self-styled godman broke his silence on Saturday in connection with the Hathras stampede in which 121 people, mostly women and children, died, stating that "those who created the chaos will not be spared."
In a video statement, Suraj Pal - who also goes by the name Narayan Sakar Hari - expressed his grief and condoled the deaths at the tragedy that took place earlier this week during a 'Satsang' in Fulari village in Hathras district.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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