Akhilesh Yadav demands extension of Maha Kumbh: ‘There are elderly people’

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday urged the Uttar Pradesh government to extend the Maha Kumbh period so that elderly devotees could take a holy dip at Triveni Sangam.

While alleging that the Yogi Adityanath government “under-reported” the turnout at the Maha Kumbh, Yadav said at a press conference, "By now, 600 million people (60 crores) must have taken a bath, but the government is not disclosing the actual number. They are deliberately underreporting figures so that, in the future, if someone studies the administrative or management aspects, their failures and mismanagement will be exposed."

Highlighting logistical challenges, he pointed to traffic congestion and the risk of stampedes as key reasons for elderly devotees missing the event. He also slammed the government for failing to use drone technology effectively. "The government had earlier stated that drones should be used and even conducted programs on it. But where drones were actually needed, they were not deployed," the SP supremo added.