Kumbh Was Reduced To Filth, Chaos’ — CM Yogi Adityanath On Maha Kumbh Prep, Sambhal Conflict

EXCLUSIVE: Speaking to ABP News, UP CM Yogi Adityanath outlined preparations for Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, and also spoke about the Sambhal conflict, emphasising the religious significance of the region.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during ABP News' special programme Sanatan Samvad

Source : ABP News

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke in detail about preparations for Prayagraj Maha Kumbh 2025 beginning January 13, the Sambhal conflict, and the rights of Purvanchali voters in the Delhi elections. He emphasised that the 2025 Maha Kumbh would be known as 'Digital Kumbh' bringing together faith and technology, after the successful 2019 Kumbh Mela which gained praise for cleanliness.

Speaking during ABP News' special programme Sanatan Samvad, CM Yogi Adityanath outlined the development plans for Prayagraj in connection with the Maha Kumbh, saying, “Through this sacred event, people from across the world will come. We need to work on crowd management. Post-independence, every Kumbh has raised questions about crowd management. During the prior period, the British and Mughals extracted taxes from the Kumbh. After independence, not much was done. Now, under the inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, development works are taking place in Prayagraj, and the city is preparing for the Maha Kumbh.”

The Chief Minister revealed that a total of Rs 7.5 billion is being spent on the event, including the construction of over 200 four-lane roads, 10,000 acres dedicated to the Kumbh, parking facilities spanning 5,000 acres, arrangements for rail and bus transport, and the installation of more than 70,000 streetlights. Over 1.5 lakh tents and over 1.5 lakh toilets are also being set up.

Ahead of the event, the Uttar Pradesh government extended invitations to people across the country and the world. However, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav raised questions about the necessity of such invitations. Referring to Akhilesh's remarks, CM Adityanath said, “Those who have made attacking Hindu beliefs their life’s mission, if we engage in any rebuttal, we would be giving unnecessary importance to such individuals. Today, these people are facing an existential crisis.”

“Mahakumbh is Uttar Pradesh's pride and a symbol of Sanatana Dharma. The invitations should definitely go out worldwide so that old memories of Uttar Pradesh are changed, and witness a new India and new Uttar Pradesh, people see the grand celebrations,” he added.

On the criticism regarding the invitation for the Kumbh, CM Adityanath added, “Some people had reduced the Kumbh to filth and chaos. The people of Uttar Pradesh were made to feel a crisis of identity.”

“Those who lack faith cannot organise such an event. A person like Azam Khan was once given the responsibility for the Kumbh. The then Chief Minister (Akhilesh Yadav) would not have visited the 2013 Kumbh. Those who woke up at noon had no time to attend,” he added.

He cited an incident from 2013 when he mentioned that the then-Mauritius Prime Minister visited the Kumbh to take a holy dip but did not do so as the Sangam was visibly unclean.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath On Waqf Land Claim, Sambhal Jama Masjid Conflict

Addressing the controversial claims made by Maulana Shahabuddin Rzavi Bareilvi regarding 55 bighas of Waqf Board land in the area where the Kumbh is being held, CM Adityanath sharply responded, stating, “It is unacceptable to impose 1400 years of history on thousands of years of heritage. Those who do not like development are the ones creating disputes. They are trying to disrupt the grand event. Such people should not turn the Waqf into a land mafia board. They are acting as per their masters who seek to claim vacant lands.”

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also addressed the issue of the Sambhal conflict, asserting that the truth about the region should be revealed, but some people are resisting this. CM Adityanath mentioned that the Puranas also reference Sambhal, particularly mentioning that Lord Vishnu’s tenth incarnation would take place in Sambhal.

CM Adityanath explained, “The Puranas were composed over a vast period of 3500 to 5000 years. The foundation laid by Bhagwan Ved Vyas marks the beginning, continuing until 3500 years ago. India’s history is intertwined with the Puranas, and it’s mentioned in them.” He further said, “For those who don’t believe in the Puranas, let me ask them: Who wrote the Ain-i-Akbari? It wasn’t us, nor the BJP or RSS. This text dates back to the time of Akbar, and it mentions that in 1526, Mir Baqi destroyed a temple in Sambhal and erected a mosque-like structure, which is now known as Jama Masjid.”

CM Adityanath then questioned the mindset of those who deny the 'truth' about Sambhal, adding, “In 1526, a temple was demolished in Sambhal, and in 1528, the birthplace in Ayodhya was desecrated. This was part of a broader pattern of temple destruction and spreading chaos. We understand and identify this mindset, and they do not want the truth about Sambhal to be revealed. They are uncomfortable with the fact that Lord Ram is now seated in Ram Janmabhoomi. They are not happy seeing the Mahaparv of Mahakumbh.”

CM Yogi Adityanath On Purvanchali Voters In Delhi Election 2025

The Chief Minister also responded to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's allegations about Purvanchalis fake voters being registered by the BJP. “Election Commission decides who gets to be a voter, the government does not intervene in it. To level such allegations is to question a constitutional body. Citizens from other states have the right to vote in Delhi if they are living there,” CM Adityanath stated, defending the voting rights of people from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

“Just as Kejriwal has the right to Delhi, so do the people coming from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and other states. They have the right to become a voter as they are contributing to Delhi's development,” he added.

CM Adityanath invited people from across the world to witness the Maha Kumbh and to witness the “new India” that will be showcased through the event. He asked opposition leaders like Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to witness the grand celebrations bringing together tradition and modernity, highlighting that the 'double-engine' government is working for the development of Prayagraj.