Docile Modi, seeks symbolic Kumbh Mela

Finding time from his busy election campaigning schedule Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called up Mahmandaleshwar Swami Avadeshanand Giri and asked about the health of the sadhus, who have gathered to attend the Kumbh Mela.

According to the Press Information Bureau, the Prime Minister the Sant Samaj for its cooperation with the administration. However, the PIB did not elaborate on what the cooperation as about.

It should be mentioned here that over 13 lakh Sadhus and devotees gathered at Haridwar for the Shahi Snaan (a holy bath) at the Ganga, earlier this week, defying all norms to prevent the spread of COVID 19.

Over 3,700 people, who attended the Kumbh Mela have already tested positive to COVID 19.

Modi, seemed helpless handling the rapid spread of COVID cases all of the country and the huge participation in the Kumbh Mela. A docile Prime Minister, who has lacked courage to ban the Kumbh Mela, meekly requested Swami Avadeshanand to keep the remaining part of Kumbh Mela symbolic, with two Shahi Snaan being over.

On his part, the latter has appealed to the people at large to come to Kumbh Mela in smaller numbers.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Shanta Kumar has said that there is no need to organise the Kumbh Mela, when the corona virus is spreading rapidly all over the country.

In a press release, Shanta Kumar blamed the government and the political leaders for the alarming situation and said they should bear the responsibility.

He said, “In the past 15 days, coronavirus patients have risen by five fold in West Bengal and a similar alarming situation is also there in other states where elections are underway.”

“It is written in our scriptures, 'Aaapat Kale, Maryaada Nasti', which means that when life itself is at stake, all rules can be broken. In today's situation, there was absolutely no need to perform Kumbh Mela, where thousands of people are taking baths,” the former Chief Minister added.

“Crowds are gathering in temples too. The disease increases in such conditions. God is everywhere; it is also in our houses, where we could perform our poojas. If all kinds of religious and political programmes would have stopped, many could have been saved of this deadly disease,” he said in the press release.