New Delhi, Feb 19 Mamata Banerjee’s controversial remarks on Maha Kumbh invited the ire and wrath of several Hindu seers and saints, however, she found support from leading spiritual leader Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, who argued for calling spade a spade and not glossing over embarrassing circumstances at the world’s religious gathering.
Speaking to IANS, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the 46th Shankaracharya of the Jyotish Peeth in Uttarakhand said that there was nothing wrong with West Bengal CM referring to Maha Kumbh as "Mrityu Kumbh".
“When death happens, what it should be called other than death? If she has said this, it’s because that is exactly what happened and the words used are appropriate for the situation,” he argued.
The Shankaracharya also launched a scathing critique of the Kumbh organisers as well as the state administration for poor arrangements and also demanded that they be held accountable for making crores of people take baths in unhygienic and contaminated water.
“When death occurred, it can’t be called anything other than death. If Mamata Banerjee has used these words, it reflects the actual situation. We had limited space and limited days and yet we invited millions of people, forcing them into a dangerous situation. What happened is for everyone to see. People lost their lives and the authorities tried to hide the truth about the deaths for hours by calling them rumours,” he said.
Further questioning the government’s handling of the stampede in Prayagraj, he said that the number of deaths still remains unclear even after so many days and added, “If a leader speaks up about this reality, how can we oppose it?”
Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati also spoke about the lack of planning and overcrowding at the Maha Kumbh and said that the tragic consequences are a direct result of these failures. He also questioned the logic of calling the event a grand success despite the fatalities.
Commenting on the water quality at the Kumbh, he said that the water at many ghats in Prayagraj was found to be unfit for bathing, still crores of devotees were made to take baths in the name of holy dip.
"The Central Pollution Control Board had already raised concerns about the contamination of the water due to industrial waste and untreated sewage. Despite this, the authorities did not act accordingly, and millions took a bath in water that was harmful to their health," he pointed out.
He also expressed concern over the lack of action from the UP government and flagged its failure to provide a scientific report on the water quality. He said that instead of giving scientific evidence, the UP CM gave political responses and went on claiming that he himself took a bath in the holy river.
“The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s statement that he personally took a dip in the water was not a scientific answer to the concerns raised regarding water quality. He should have provided a report, showing the results of water testing and the conditions it was in. Instead, he resorted to a political response by stating that he bathed in the water himself. Just because he took a dip does not mean it was safe for everyone else,” said Swami Avimukteshwaranand.
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