Akhilesh Yadav demands accountability for Kumbh deaths, criticizes UP CM

New Delhi [India], January 31 (ANI): As the Budget session got underway on Friday, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav shifted focus to the Kumbh tragedy, demanding justice for those who lost their lives.
Speaking on the matter, Yadav said, "Budget will be discussed later, in this session and today - we need to talk about peace for those who lost their lives in Kumbh."
Yadav also targeted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, stating, "The Uttar Pradesh CM has been morally gone, now the question is when will he be gone politically?" His comments came in response to the state government's handling of the Kumbh deaths, which has been under scrutiny.
"The government is hiding the number of people who died in Kumbh as they don't want to pay the compensation," Yadav continued, accusing the administration of covering up the scale of the tragedy.
He called for transparency, urging the government to release a public list of those who died. "The families of the deceased must be informed at the earliest and a list of all those who lost their lives should be made public... It's the government's mistake. It's still hiding things," Yadav asserted.
Meanwhile, ahead before the commencement of the Budget Session 2025-26, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that this is the first Parliament session in which he witnessed "no foreign interference" since 2014.
The budget session of the Parliament commenced today with President Droupadi Murmu addressing the joint sitting of the two Houses.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will table the Economic Survey ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget on Saturday. The Economic Survey document, prepared by the Economic Division of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance and formulated under the supervision of the chief economic adviser, gives insights into the state of the economy and various indicators of 2024-25 (April-March) and some outlook for the next fiscal.
A series of important bills are likely to be taken up during the session. These include the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aimed at strengthening banking regulations and oversight, and the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which focuses on enhancing the operational efficiency of the Indian Railways.
Another notable proposal is the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to improve disaster response mechanisms across the country.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024 are also likely to be presented which aimed at bringing reforms to the management of religious endowments.
The legislative agenda of the government includes the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024, the Boilers Bill, 2024, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024, the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024 and the Finance Bill, 2025.
The first part of the Budget session will continue till February 13 and the two Houses will again meet on March 10 after recess with the session concluding on April 4. (ANI)