Akhilesh Yadav’s big claim, said – there was a plan to declare Yogi Adityanath as PM candidate in Maha Kumbh

New Delhi. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party government over the Maha Kumbh held in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. He said on Sunday that there was a plan to make Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath the Prime Ministerial candidate in the recently concluded Maha Kumbh and alleged that the BJP leader made it a political event.

Big claim on PM candidature
Yadav told reporters here, “The BJP wanted to make it a political Kumbh. This was not a religious Kumbh. This Kumbh was not for the devotees, but for political purposes.” The former Chief Minister said, “It was even heard that there was a preparation in the organization of Kumbh so that his (Yogi) name would be declared as the Prime Minister.”

He also alleged serious mismanagement in the organisation of Maha Kumbh 2025 here. He claimed, “Have you ever seen TV channels giving interviews during Kumbh? Such arrangements were made here. This entire mismanagement has put a big blot on the event.” Yadav said, “In the future, you will understand even better. Many things may not reach me, but you live here – you know the truth.”

Future of INDIA alliance
Akhilesh Yadav said that the opposition Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) alliance will continue in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister attacked the BJP, alleging that it was trying to grab land like a mafia through the Waqf (Amendment) Act.

Yadav said that in the 2027 assembly elections, “PDA (Backward, Dalit and Minority) will uproot the BJP from the state.” When asked about the ‘INDIA’ alliance, he reiterated, ‘INDIA’ alliance is there and will remain.’ He said, ‘The BJP has brought the Waqf Amendment Act so that it can snatch land. Wherever they see land, they occupy it.’ He termed the BJP as a ‘land mafia party’.

Yadav accused the ruling party of snatching people’s money through demonetisation and GST (goods and services tax) and reducing the right to reservation.

Questions raised on drone surveillance
The SP chief claimed that the government gave wrong figures about the number of casualties and financial gains during the incident, and alleged that drone and CCTV surveillance failed during the stampede in January. He said, ‘The BJP is an expert in hiding the true figures and showing false figures. The entire BJP government is running on propaganda. In this digital Kumbh, the government had said that any data would be made available in a few seconds. Claims were made of complete surveillance through drones.’

Yadav said, ‘When drones and CCTVs were needed the most (at the time of stampede), they were either closed or were shut down. They did not give the correct number of people killed in the stampede at Sangam Nose and pressurized the family members to change the cause of death.’

Reacted to Ramji Lal Suman’s statement
On being asked about SP MP Ramji Lal Suman’s statement on Rana Sanga, he said that the history which shows each other superior and inferior, the history which stops our progress, that history should be allowed to remain history.

In a press conference, the SP chief made available to the journalists the suggestions given by him on the social media platform ‘X’ regarding Prayagraj Mahakumbh 2025 in the form of a booklet. Along with this, he also made available the report of the study done by Harvard University regarding the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela held in 2013. Akhilesh Yadav had come to Prayagraj to attend the wedding ceremony of the daughter of the party’s state president Shyam Lal Pal.