Akhilesh Yadav skips Maha Kumbh, takes dip in Haridwar instead

New Delhi: Samajwadi party chief Akhilesh Yadav skipped Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj and took a dip in the Ganga river in Haridwar on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Tuesday.

"Taking Maa Ganga's blessing on Makar Sankranti festival," he said in a post on social media platform X and attached with it pictures of him taking a dip in the river.

Though the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister did not disclose the location, party sources said he took the dip in Haridwar.

Asked whether he would be visiting the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Yadav on Sunday said he had visited the religious congregation always.

"Some people go to bathe in Ganga to gain 'punya' (virtue), some people go to give 'daan' (donate) and some people go to wash away their sins. We will go for 'punya' and for 'daan,'" he had told reporters.

In 2019, Yadav had taken a bath in Prayagraj during Ardha Kumbh.

Earlier on Tuesday, Yadav said the government's claims of grand arrangements at the Maha Kumbh are "far from reality".

In a statement, Yadav said, "Pilgrims are struggling for basic amenities like drinking water, food, and shelter. There is no one to hear their grievances. Senior citizens are forced to walk kilometres, and there are no measures for protection against the cold.

"Instead of supporting poor boatmen, the government has restricted their livelihoods,” the former chief minister added.

Accusing the BJP government in the state and Centre of rampant corruption and failed governance, Yadav said every scheme launched by it has become a story of bribery.

Inflation, unemployment and corruption, have meanwhile, reached unprecedented levels, he said.

"Their flawed economic policies have ruined the economy. They promised dreams but delivered despair,” Yadav said.

Yadav also criticised the state of Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency.

He highlighted that despite promises to transform Varanasi into a Japanese-style smart city akin to Kyoto, the city remains neglected.

“Fountains and open gym equipment at Maidagin Park are broken, paddle boats and swings are damaged, street lights are non-functional, and roads remain pothole-ridden. Hospitals lack medicines and proper treatment facilities,” the SP chief said.

Similar mismanagement in Lucknow has led to poor sanitation, pot-holed roads, and collapsing infrastructure, he said.

"Recently, roads in areas like Tedhipulia and Vikasnagar caved in, exposing the BJP's corruption," he added.

Yadav said that public dissatisfaction with the BJP is growing, and people are waiting for the 2027 elections to end the BJP’s "misrule".

"The public will remove the BJP and put an end to its corruption and commission-driven governance,” he asserted.