Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad sparked a controversy on Sunday after he called the Maha Kumbh “faaltu (meaningless)”. His remarks came while commenting on the stampede at the New Delhi Railway station, in which 18 people lost their lives and left many injured as passengers rushed to board trains bound for Prayagraj.
When asked to comment on the large crowds heading to the mega religious gathering and suggestions for crowd management, Prasad said, “Kumbh ka kahan koi matlab hai. Faltu hai Kumbh (Is there any meaning to Kumbh?… It is just meaningless).”
The RJD chief called the incident an “unfortunate one” and blamed the Railways’ “mismanagement” for it. “The incident is very unfortunate and I offer my condolences to the victims. This is a mismanagement by the Railways that led to the loss of so many lives. The Railway Minister should take responsibility,” Prasad, who is a former Railways minister, said.
The remarks drew sharp criticism from the BJP and Hindu religious leaders, who condemned Prasad’s comments, accusing him of doing politics over dead bodies.
Bihar BJP spokesperson Manoj Sharma said it has exposed the RJD’s mindset towards the Hindu religion.
“He is making such comments due to his politics of appeasement. The RJD leaders have always insulted the religious sentiments of Hindus. The latest statement by Lalu Prasad, calling the Maha Kumbh meaningless, exposes the party’s mindset towards the Hindu religion,” Sharma was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha alleged that the RJD supremo is doing politics over the incident and said, “He has always attacked Sanatan dharma, and their mindset is clearly reflected in their attitude towards Sanatan Dharma and its religious leaders. These people have even abandoned their own values for the sake of appeasement.”
At least 18 people were killed in the overnight stampede at the packed New Delhi Railway Station after some passengers slipped and fell on others while coming down from a footover bridge. More than a dozen people were also injured. The Delhi Police said that the initial probe found that the incident happened as passengers got confused between the ‘Prayagraj Express’ and the ‘Prayagraj Special’ when the announcement of the latter’s arrival was made.
The announcement of the ‘Prayagraj Special’ arriving at Platform 16 led to confusion among the waiting passengers because the Prayagraj Express was already at Platform 14. People who were reaching Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 and rushed towards it, leading to the stampede, police said.
A high-level committee has been formed to probe the incident. A compensation of Rs 10 lakh each has been announced by the Railways for the families of those killed in the stampede. Those seriously injured will get Rs 2.5 lah each and those with minor injuries Rs 1 lakh each.