Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 7 (HBTV): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath strongly criticized Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday, accusing them of 'taking payoffs' to speak against Sanatan Dharm as the opposition disputed the number of casualties in the Mahakumbh stampede.

On Monday, the Congress president raised the issue of the Mahakumbh stampede in Rajya Sabha, claiming that 1,000 people died in the incident, challenging the Uttar Pradesh government's official figure of 30 deaths. Similarly, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the government’s numbers, demanding that the administration release the total count of casualties.

'On one hand, people are witnessing such a grand event and participating in it with pride, and on the other hand, Sanatan Dharm ke khilaf supari lekarke shadyantra (taking a payoff to be against Sanatan Dharm), malicious plots are being hatched,' CM Adityanath said in Prayagraj.

Stating that the opposition has been speaking against the Mahakumbh mela 'since day one,' he added, 'Everyone has observed how Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav are not just against Sanatan Dharm but have been criticizing Mahakumbh since the beginning. Their statements are not just intense but also condemnable and shameful. I am saddened by the Congress president’s claim that thousands of people died in Mahakumbh on Mouni Amavasya.'

He further stated, 'Their statements are filled with misleading claims and lies. Similarly, the statement of the SP chief suggests a competition between them over who can insult Sanatan Dharm more.'   (ANI)