Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched an all-out attack on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the stampede deaths and alleged mismanagement of crowds at the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, calling the religious congregation “Mrityu Kumbh (Kumbh of Death)”. Banerjee alleged that while VIPs were being given special privileges, the poor were being denied access to essential facilities.

If you are a true Hindu, rise above politics and strongly oppose these words of Mamata Banerjee

The BJP swiftly retaliated against Banerjee, condemning her remarks as an attack on Hindus and accusing her of harbouring “disdain and hostility” toward Hindu traditions. BJP leader Amit Malviya alleged that her comments exposed Banerjee’s “hypocrisy”–appeasement for one community and outright hostility toward another.

Addressing the Budget Session of the Assembly, Banerjee slammed the BJP government, accusing it of “selling religion to divide the nation” and alleged a lack of proper planning for the ongoing Maha Kumbh religious congregation in Prayagraj.

“This is ‘Mrityu Kumbh’. I respect Maha Kumbh, and I respect the holy Ganga Maa. But there is no planning. How many people have been rescued? For the rich and VIPs, there are systems in place to get camps (tents) for as much as Rs 1 lakh. But for the poor, there are no arrangements at Kumbh,” the West Bengal Chief Minister said.

Also mentioning that stampede situations are “common in a melas,” she emphasised the need for proper arrangements and questioned, “Why did you overhype such a serious event? Proper planning should have been in place. How many commissions have been sent to Kumbh after the incident?”

Banerjee further alleged that dead bodies were sent to Bengal (from Kumbh) without even a post-mortem and said, “They will claim people died of heart attacks and deny them compensation”. “We conducted the post-mortem here because you sent the bodies without death certificates. How will these people receive compensation?” she remarked.

The BJP hit back at the Trinamool Congress supremo and the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, called it an attack on Hindus and urged people to register a “strong protest”.

“I appeal to the Hindu community, saint community to register a strong protest. A little while ago, on the Floor of the House, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that this is not Maha Kumbh but ‘Mrityu Kumbh’. Raise your voice against this attack on Hindus, on Maha Kumbh. If you are a true Hindu, rise above politics and strongly oppose these words of Mamata Banerjee,” Adhikari, who has been leading a protest outside the assembly after being suspended, said.

Amit Malviya, BJP IT cell chief who is also in charge of West Bengal, alleged “Mamata Banerjee never misses an opportunity to appease her vote bank, yet when it comes to Hindu festivals and traditions, her attitude shifts to disdain and hostility”. “This is not an isolated incident. Mamata Banerjee’s government has systematically undermined Hindu traditions,” he further claimed.