NEW DELHI: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee criticised the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday for lack of planning at the Maha Kumbh, saying the spiritual gathering in Prayagraj has turned into “Mrityu Kumbh”. The BJP brushed aside the criticism, claiming she is “nervous” about her fate in the 2026 assembly elections after seeing Arvind Kejriwal’s “complete decimation” in Delhi.
Banerjee launched a broadside against the BJP in the ongoing assembly session over various issues but reserved the Kumbh arrangements for special attention.
She said: “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 recovered? There are food and lodging arrangements for the VIPs, and systems are available to get camps (tents) for as high as `1 lakh. There are no arrangements for the poor, and a stampede-like situation arose in Kumbh Mela.”
The BJP in West Bengal reacted sharply to Mamata’s remark. Party leader Suvendu Adhikari appealed to the Hindu and saint community to strongly protest the CM’s statement.
He said, “I appeal to the Hindu and Saint communities to register a strong protest. A little while ago, on the Floor of the House (State Assembly), Mamata Banerjee said that this is not Maha Kumbh but ‘Mrityu Kumbh’. Raise your voice against this attack on Hindu, on Maha Kumbh.”
Banerjee and Adhikari exchanged barbs throughout the day. He led BJP legislators for a sit-in protest in the assembly premises earlier in the day, protesting alleged appeasement politics by her government.
The chief minister accused the state BJP of using religion to serve its political interests and condemned charges that she was acting like a member of the Muslim League.
In New Delhi, Amit Malviya, co-incharge of West Bengal BJP and head of BJP’s IT cell, condemned her “uncalled-for attack”. He described her remark as a ‘sign of her imminent defeat’ in the 2026 Assembly elections: “She is nervous after Arvind Kejriwal’s complete decimation in Delhi. Last time, like Kejriwal, she lost her elections in Nandigram. This time, she fears the worst.”
In a veiled criticism, Malviya accused her of being under the influence of Firhad Hakim, a known supporter of Dawat-e-Islam. He claimed, “Mamata Banerjee has again shown her deep contempt for Bharat’s culture and religious traditions. By calling the sacred Mahakumbh ‘Mritu-Kumbh’. She has deliberately attacked one of Hinduism’s most revered pilgrimages, which millions have attended for centuries”.