"We saw how in past Kumbh was organised": Union Minister Shekhawat applauds CM Yogi Adityanath for Maha Kumbh preparations

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], January 18 (ANI): Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday praised the preparedness and safety measures for the Maha Kumbh, being held in Prayagraj, under the leadership of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Speaking to the media, Shekhawat also criticized the previous government's handling of the event.
"The Maha Kumbh is being organised with all preparedness and safety under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. It should be a case study on the arrangements by the government in one of the largest gatherings of humans. We saw how in the past the Kumbh was organised...if we talk about the Kumbh before this, the way the stampede happened in 2013 and the then government treated it with insensitivity. After independence, when the first Kumbh was organized, looking at the arrangements of the Kumbh, the then government was indifferent towards the arrangements of the Kumbh," the Union Minister said.
To strengthen the arrangements, Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and Uttar Pradesh DGP Prashant Kumar conducted a visit to the Mahakumbh area on Thursday. During their visit, they chaired a high-level review meeting at the ICC auditorium.
Over 2.5 million devotees took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam on the fifth day of the MahaKumbh Mela being held in the city of Prayagraj.
As per the data released, by 2 pm on Friday, over 1 million Kalpavasis and 1.5 million pilgrims visited the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Maha Kumbh, which began on January 13, will continue until February 26.
The next key bathing dates include January 29 (Mauni Amavasya - Second Shahi Snan), February 3 (Basant Panchami - Third Shahi Snan), February 12 (Maghi Purnima), and February 26 (Maha Shivaratri). (ANI)