Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday addressed the Budget Session of the state Assembly and highlighted the success of the Mahakumbah in his speech. The Chief Minister quoted India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma's statement to highlight the success of the historic Mahakumbh – the world's largest religious event.
"The success of such a large gathering in a city is not less than a miracle. The state government showed that with the strong will, such a massive event can be successfully organised. A government can manage the arrival of over 66 crore people if communication is proper and crowd management skills remain at play. The success of the Mahakumbh shows that police can be friendly and rumours can be overcome with the trust of people. With the right set of business skills, over Rs 3 lakh crore can be earned by investing Rs 7,500 crore. It was a litmus test (Agni Pariksha) for the state government and the Centre. The success of the event added glory to the Sanatan Dharma," Yogi said, quoting Rajat Sharma.
In his daily column, Rajat Sharma wrote that the resounding success of Mahakumbh, which came to an end with 66 crore people taking a holy dip across a time span of 45 days, deserves to be applauded.
He also wrote that Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the event as "Ekta Ka Maha Kumbh". "UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced all safai karmacharis who worked at Mahakumbh will now get an enhanced pay of Rs 16,000 per month and a bonus of Rs 10,000. Organising such a mammoth congregation on a huge scale was really courageous, and Yogi Adityanath came out with flying colours. This success can be described as magical," Sharma wrote in his editorial piece.
He further wrote that when crores of devotees congregate at a place, there are big risks involved, and anything could have happened. "We must not forget the unfortunate stampede that took place on January 29. When crores of people take a holy dip, an epidemic could have broken out or any big untoward incident could have occurred. What happened was magical, with the blessings of Almighty. By organising this Mahakumbh, the world has been shown that 66 crore people can be managed in an orderly manner, provided there is strong determination and proper security aided by modern technology. Millions of devotees were regulated using modern communication skills. It has also been proved that if people cooperate, lakhs of devotees can be served food and water," he wrote.
"This time, Mahakumbh showcased the state's ability to hold such a large event and the country's ability to the world," CM Yogi said in the Assembly.
The Mahakumbh, held once every 12 years, attracts millions of pilgrims from across the world, making crowd management a critical challenge for authorities. This year, over 66 crore pilgrims attended the religious event, according to the Uttar Pradesh government.