My Opinion

What UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath revealed about Maha Kumbh is really surprising. More than half a billion people went to Maha Kumbh during a span of 45 days, people from all sections moved around freely, and yet there was not a single case of snatching, theft or pickpocketing! On the other hand, small shopkeepers made brisk sales and went home happy with their earnings. Millions of devotees who went to Sangam went home happy because they believe, they have earned ‘punya’ (blessings of Almighty). Yogi explained the economics of Maha Kumbh saying how he arrived at the figure of Rs 3.5 lakh crore business done in 45 days. He gave a rough breakup: Rs 1.5 lakh crore was earned by transporters, UP government earned Rs 3000 crore as toll tax, devotees gave away Rs 650 crore as donations, prayer materials were sold for over Rs 20,000 crore, hotels earned roughly Rs 40,000 crore, while food and other consumable commodities were sold worth Rs 33,000 crore. Listening to Yogi, opposition leaders in UP might be feeling now that they should not have criticized the organizers of Maha Kumbh in the first place. All the 66 crore devotees who came to Maha Kumbh were not supporters of Yogi or Prime Minister Modi. But after watching the good arrangements made, they will surely become fans of Yogi and Modi. Those who came to Maha Kumbh were followers of Sanatan tradition. Leaders who hurt their feelings may have to face loss at the time of elections. At least Akhilesh Yadav managed to take a holy dip, but Rahul Gandhi, the MP from Rae Bareli, did not consider it necessary to go to Maha Kumbh. Naturally, questions will be asked at the time of elections.

Why Abu Azmi praised Aurangzeb?

Four-time Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi was suspended for the entire session of Maharashtra Assembly today for his recent remark praising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He had criticized a movie based on the life of Maratha emperor Shivaji’s son Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj. Abu Azmi had claimed that incorrect historical facts were shown about Aurangzeb. He described as “an able administrator who helped built several temples and under whose reign India became ‘Sone Ki Chidiya’ accounting for 24 per cent of world GDP”. There were protests inside and outside the Assembly and ruling combine legislators from BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena (Shinde) demanded his suspension. A case has been registered against Abu Azmi. BJP and Shiv Sena leaders said, praising Aurangzeb as a great administrator amounted to insulting Shivaji, who fought Mughal rule throughout his life. This is not the first time Abu Azmi praised Aurangzeb. He had stoked similar controversies in the past too. Abu Azmi later withdrew his remarks, and defended himself saying that it was an off-the-cuff remark in response to a reporter’s question. Abu Azmi has been in politics for last three decades. He is heading a political party. At least he should have known about the deep reverence people of Maharashtra show towards Chhatrapati Shivaji. Shivaji and his son Sambhaji fought against the Mughal ruler throughout their lives, and gave supreme sacrifice. Is Abu Azmi unaware about the severe atrocities that Aurangzeb inflicted on Hindus and Sikhs? Is he aware that Aurangzeb ordered the beheading of one lakh Hindus on a single day? Is he aware that Aurangzeb asked his commander to force the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh to attain martyrdom? The moot point is: Abu Azmi deliberately praised Aurangzeb to keep his vote bank in good humour. Though Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena demanded action against Abu Azmi, but at the same time it said that this issue was raised simply because the ruling combine wanted to downplay the resignation of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde, whose associates had allegedly killed a sarpanch.

How Virat Kohli shaped India’s semifinal victory

Unbeaten Team India entered the final of ICC Champions Trophy defeating Australia by 4 wickets with 11 balls remaining. The main credit for this victory goes to Virat Kohli who made a maginificent 84 runs with patience in order to fashion a thrilling win. Kohli showed why he is called Chasemaster in cricket. Though he missed his century, but he played controlled cricket, and this deserves praise. Shreyas Iyer (45), Hardik Pandya (28), Axar Patel (27), captain Rohit Sharma (28) contributed well. K L Rahul (42 not out) hit a sixer off Glen Maxwell’s ball to finish India’s 265-run chase. The final will be played on Sunday March 9 in Dubai. Virat Kohli was declared Man of the Match. Team India has performed superbly in Champions Trophy tournament. Bowler Varun Chakravarthy is new, but his swingers have foxed most of the batters. All the senior players in the team have returned to form. Rohit Sharma hit a century in this tournament, while Virat Kohli hit a century off the last ball against Pakistan. I would say, Virat Kohli has made a terrific comeback. Mohammed Shami’s and Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling have been exemplary. Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel have played very well. The manner in which Rohit Sharma led his team is commendable. Looking at the overall performance, I am sure Team India will bring the Champions Trophy home this time.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s disclosure, about the reason behind why he chose to downplay initial reports about the stampede at Maha Kumbh on Mauni Amavasya morning, should be an eyeopener for his critics. Yogi said, he did not want panic among millions of devotees who had thronged the city and on its outskirts. In times of crisis, Yogi said, a true leader is tested and tough decisions had to be taken and he did that. Yogi replied to allegations made by Akhilesh Yadav and other opposition leaders that the exact death toll in the stampede was kept under wraps. The stampede took place at 1.30 am and till 9 am, Yogi remained silent. The chief minister explained whenever a stampede occurs, one must never lose patience. There were nearly 4 crore devotees in Kumbh Mela area and another 8 crore in Prayagraj city. Had the news spread about the death toll in stampede, there could have been panic and the matter could have gone out of control. Yogi said, the first task was to ensure safe return of devotees who had taken a dip, and the authorities stopped more than 2 crore devotees pouring in from neighbouring districts from entering Prayagraj. Yogi was addressing Indian Institute of Management experts and Indian Postal Service officials about Maha Kumbh arrangements. His disclosures were specific. Yogi said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had wanted the Maha Kumbh to be the largest congregation of devotees, unprecedented in history. The CM then explained all the nitty-gritties that were addressed, like ensuring quality of Ganga water, training of policemen, erecting lakhs of toilets and deploying thousands of sanitation workers. The biggest risk was a possibility of any terror attack. To describe the seriousness of this risk, I would like to mention here that Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad picked up an ISI module operative from Faridabad on Monday. The terrorist admitted that he had been sent to blow up the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. I remember, when I visited the Maha Kumbh to record a TV show with Yogi Adityanath, I had asked him about the possibility of a terror attack on Maha Kumbh. Yogi replied, as long as Modi is Prime Minister, we must not worry about external danger. His only worry was about how to avoid any untoward incident at the Maha Kumbh, for which CCTV and drone cameras were deployed for surveillance. Yogi’s determination paid dividends. The entire world watched in astonishment how more than half a billion people came to Maha Kumbh for 45 days and arrangements were made with precision. The world media and newspapers praised the arrangements made at Maha Kumbh. Yogi Adityanath read out all those news headlines on Monday. Yet, there are people in our country who do not trust all that is said in media. They remain cynical. I think, after going through those foreign media headlines, they may realize that the success of Maha Kumbh was a matter of pride for India.

Mayawati’s nephew expelled:A family matter

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati expelled her nephew Akash Anand from the party, a day after she took away all responsibilities from him. Akash Anand was the national coordinator of the party. Mayawati wrote on X that Akash Anand was working at the behest of his father-in-law and instead of showing maturity, he had become arrogant and self-centred. Former associates of Mayawati like Swami Prasad Maurya said, Mayawati has weakened her party and she is unwilling to reform. Another Samajwadi Party leader alleged that Mayawati took action against her nephew at the behest of BJP. It seems to me that this matter is entirely family-related and not political. Mayawati is unhappy with her nephew’s father-in-law and she believes that Akash was following the dictates of his father-in-law, whom she had already expelled from her party. This chapter is now over. Though speculations will continue, but this will not have much effect on Bahujan Samaj Party, whose base among Dalit voters is dwindling by the day.

Rohit’s fitness:Shama’s timing is totally wrong

Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammed embarrassed her party by posting a comment on X raising the issue of Rohit Sharma’s fitness. In her post, she described Rohit Sharma as “fat” and as the most unimpressive captain till now. Soon after her tweet, leaders from different political parties criticized her. Former India player Harbhajan Singh said, nobody had any right to make personal comment about Rohit Sharma’s fitness. After a flurry of criticisms, the Congress party distanced itself from Shama’s comment. A statement was issued by the Congress party saying it does not agree with Shama’s comment and it was her personal opinion. Shama explained on social media that she was not “body shaming” Rohit Sharma, but had only compared him with other former captains. Shama had not expected such strong opposition to her comment. She must understand two or three points. One, Rohit Sharma is fully fit and he has passed all fitness tests like other Team India players. This is the reason why he is in the team and is its captain. Two, Shama should go through Rohit Sharma’s records. He is one of the finest batters of the world and when his bat is in full cry, bowlers tremble at his onslaught. Three, India is playing ICC Champions Trophy semifinal under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy against Australia. Team India till now, under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, has done admirably well in the Champions Trophy. At such a time, poking fun at the captain’s fitness is unacceptable. Shama’s information is incorrect, and her timing is also wrong.

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The successful completion of Maha Kumbh has brought the Sanatan Dharma to centre stage for the second time in two years. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi consecrated the idol of Ram Lala at the grand temple in Ayodhya, where celebrities from all spheres were invited. Maha Kumbh marked the assertion of Sanatan faith by more than half a billion Hindus who came to Sangam on their own, as pilgrims. The Ram Lala Pran Pratistha event was ceremonial, but the Maha Kumbh was a grand event for all commoners. Celebrities and VIPs also came to Maha Kumbh, but they were practically lost among the multitudes of devotees. Crores of people came from all corners of India to the Maha Kumbh, which became a platform for expression of deep faith. The coming of more than half a billion Indians to a single event has caused reverberations across the globe. While CM Yogi Adityanath gave a pay hike and bonus to sanitation workers, the Railways have promised to reward those staff who worked untiringly. There was no difference between the rich and poor at Maha Kumbh. Small shopkeepers earned handsomely from devotees, while the rich donated with abandon. There are examples of a tea vendor earning Rs 5000 daily, while those offering ‘Chandan Teeka’ for Rs 10 each, earned upto Rs 65,000. Those selling tooth powder and ‘neem’ sticks, earned upto Rs 40,000, while a YouTuber earned Rs 3 lakh by selling lemon tea to devotees. Some collected huge amounts of coins thrown by devotees in river Ganga. Top corporate Coca Cola recycled plastic bottles and distributed 21,000 life jackets to sanitation workers and boatmen. Mankind Pharma hosted free medical camps, while Eveready gave away nearly 5,000 siren torches and batteries to the local police. Billionaire Gautam Adani provided free meals to nearly one lakh devotees daily. While top corporates and donors packed up soon after the Maha Kumbh was over, small and medium level shopkeepers had tears in their eyes when they started packing up. They were worried about their earnings in the coming months. Experts say, Yogi’s claim about the Maha Kumbh providing Rs 3 lakh crore turnover to the state economy will surely benefit thousands for whom this event was a big source of earnings. Maha Kumbh will surely give a boost to UP’s economy and Prayagraj will emerge as a top tourist destination. And now a look at political fallouts: Both Modi and Yogi will get credit for the successful hosting of Maha Kumbh, while the opposition will be worried. Akhilesh Yadav took a lot of time to gauge the feelings of millions of devotees who were coming to Prayagraj. He initially raised questions and when he found the crowds swelling, he went silently and took a holy dip himself. This was because he wanted to avoid anybody asking him later why he did not visit the Maha Kumbh. In Congress, there were two camps: Leaders like D.K.Shivakumar and Abhishek Manu Singhvi took their holy dip, but the Gandhi siblings were absent. I am surprised why Rahul Gandhi did not come to Maha Kumbh. Heavens would not have fallen if he had come and taken a holy dip in Ganga. If he thinks this was a personal matter, he must be prepared to face the political consequences for his absence. Arvind Kejriwal said on camera that he would go to Maha Kumbh after Delhi elections, but both he and his party lost the elections. This will give a handle to Yogi, who will be going to tell the people that leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and Tejashwi Yadav are all “Chunaavi Hindus” (Election time Hindus). These leaders will find it difficult to respond to such a jab.

Why is Mamata’s nephew publicly swearing loyalty to her ?

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had described Maha Kumbh as “Mrityu Kumbh” (Death Cauldron). On Thursday, Mamata Banerjee described BJP’s Hindutva as “fake” and said, BJP guys are actually “Gerua Comrades” (Saffron Leftists). When BJP made an issue about cancellation of holiday on Vishwakarma by Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Mamata Banerjee challenged BJP and asked how many holidays does the Centre give for Durga Puja, Kali Puja and Saraswati Puja? She then alleged that BJP was adding names of people from Haryana, Gujarat, Bihar and Punjab in Bengal electoral lists. Mamata warned that she would not allow such a “formula” to be applied in Bengal, as was done in Haryana, Delhi and Maharashtra. She also alleged that the Election Commission was packed with pro-BJP people, and unless the EC works impartially, it will continue to face allegations. Meanwhile Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee said he was not a “traitor” and he has no differences with his aunt. Abhishek said, he was a disciplined party worker and he would never dream of joining the BJP. “I will rather die but I will not leave Mamata Banerjee. Even if you slit my neck, I shall shout Mamata Zindabad.”, he said. Why did the nephew say such things? Actually, for the last few days, rumours were rife that Abhishek Banerjee is trying to form a separate lobby in Trinamool Congress to grab the leadership. Rumours were floated that Abhishek may join BJP because of his fear about his pending cases. But Abhishek has realized that one cannot challenge Mamata in Bengal and his own existence depends on the goodwill of his aunt. This was the reason why the nephew swore his loyalty publicly for his aunt.

A teacher is suspended for using cuss words against Bihar

Uploading videos on social media can cause problems to those who hurl abuses and insults. Deepali Shah, a female probationary teacher appointed at the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Jehanabad, Bihar, has been suspended. She posted two videos of herself on social media platforms where she used offensive language against Bihar and its people. A resident of Delhi, Deepali Shah crossed all limits of decency. In her videos, she described Bihar as “India’s worst region” and said she was willing to work in Bengal, Goa, Odisha, even Ladakh and in the South, except Bihar. In another video, she was heard saying “Bihar is not a place fit to live and the people here have no civic sense”. Samastipur MP Shambhavi Chaudhary has demanded that the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan must terminate her services. What Deepali Shah said about Bihar and its people is totally unjustified. She submitted an apology in writing to the local police, but since she has posted both objectionable videos on social media, she must tender apology on social media too.

What is Trump offering for a Rs 44 crore Gold Card ?

US President Donald Trump has come up with a new idea. If you have Rs 44 crore, you can get yourself settled in the US. In the Gold Card Visa scheme, those “aliens” interested in doing business in the US should buy a Gold Card for $ 5 million (Rs 44 cr) and settle in the US. Trump has said that his government has set a target of selling one million Gold Cards. He said, America’s doors will be opened to nationals of all countries including Russia, China and India. Details of this scheme will be made public soon. Till now, the US government had been following a policy of giving long-term visa to foreigners who invest $ 1 million (Rs 8-9 cr). Other countries too have come up with similar offers. Turkey grants citizenship if one invests Rs 3.5 crore, and Greece offers citizenship for investment starting from Rs 2.25 crore. But Trump is a “pucca businessman”. He has upped the ante to $ 5 million. Those willing to invest Rs 45-50 crore in the US can dream of getting American citizenship.

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The resounding success of Maha Kumbh, which came to an end with 66 crore people taking a holy dip across a time span of 45 days, deserves to be applauded. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the event as “Ekta Ka Maha Kumbh”. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced all safai karmacharis who worked at Maha Kumbh, will now get an enhanced pay of Rs 16,000 per month and a bonus of Rs 10,000. Organizing such a mammoth congregation on a huge scale was really courageous and Yogi Adityanath came out with flying colours. This success can be described as magical. When crores of devotees congregate at a place, there are big risks involved. Anything could have happened. We must not forget the unfortunate stampede that took place on January 29. When crores of people take a holy dip, epidemic could have broken out or any big untoward incident could have occurred. What happened was magical, with the blessings of Almighty. By organizing this Maha Kumbh, the world has been shown that 66 crore people can be managed in an orderly manner, provided there is strong determination, proper security aided by modern technology. Millions of devotees were regulated using modern communication skills. It has also been proved that if people cooperate, lakhs of devotees can be served food and water. Normally people fear policemen, but policemen can be trained to behave in a friendly manner. Thousands of religious saints and ascetics were accorded proper respect. Both the rich and the poor were allowed to take a holy dip together. It is the sign of good business acumen that Rs 3 lakh crore turnover was generated by spending Rs 7,500 crore on arrangements. People’s trust was won, despite false rumours, through proper management. This Maha Kumbh shall, therefore, be remembered as an unimaginable experience. Organizing it was a test by fire, an ‘Agni Pareeksha’, and both Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Yogi came out with flying colours. Sanatan dharma gained respect throughout the world. The whole world has been noticing how India used management skills, efficiency and capability. The world has acknowledged that India has shown that the impossible can be achieved. This unprecedented success will reverberate in the years to come. It is the greatest achievement for India’s Sanatan Dharma.

Bageshwar Dham’s laudable initiative

In the sleepy town of Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh, on the occasion of Mahashivratri, Bageshwar Dham chief Dhirendra Shastri conducted a mass marriage for 251 poor, orphaned girls. Present was President Droupadi Murmu who blessed the 251 newly wed couples and gifted them sarees and suits bought from her own savings. On behalf of Bageshwar Dham,double bed, sofa, almirahs, dressings tables, utensils and other household items were gifted to the couples. Present were MP Governor Mangubhai Patel, CM Mohan Yadav, MPs Manoj Tiwari, Nishikant Dubey, Kapil Mishra, sportsmen Virendra Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, R P Singh, Patanjali Yog Peeth deputy chief Acharya Balkrishna and Gyananandji Maharaj. Dhirendra Shastri has been organizing mass marriages for the last five years. In an emotional speech, he disclosed how his family had no money for the marriage of his sister and people were unwilling to give loans. Out of 251 girls, 108 belong to tribal community. Dhirendra Shastri was known till now as a baba who had magical powers and who could deliver religious sermons, but on Mahashivratri day, he performed the role of a godfather. His Bageshwar Dham is also building a cancer hospital. I believe, if all godmen, saints and religious figures come forward to work for the betterment of society by providing education, healthcare and nutrition for the poor using donations from disciples, it will strengthen our nation.

Bihar’s new ministers: BJP prepares for elections

Eight months before the Assembly elections due in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inducted seven new ministers from BJP. All the ministers picked up keeping caste combination and regional base in mind. Four ministers are from Mithilanchal. Five out of the seven new ministers today were from backward classes. It is no rocket science to figure out why and how the cabinet was expanded. Caste combinations dominate Bihar politics. Lalu Yadav’s focus is on Dalits, backward classes and Muslim voters. Other Backward Classes account for 27 pc of Bihar’s population, while Extremely Backward Classes add up to 36 per cent. Clubbing both classes, it becomes nearly 63 per cent in Bihar. If Yadavs are subtracted from this, nearly 50 per cent belong to OBCs and EBCs. The NDA combination of BJP-JD(U) is targeting this 50 per cent voters’ population. Keeping assembly polls in mind, BJP is trying to rearrange caste equations in Bihar.

How Afghanistan smashed Champion England ?

A new chapter in Afghan story in world cricket was written in Lahore’s Gaddafi stadium, when England team was sent packing after Azmatullah Omarzai scalped five wickets, and 23-year-old Ibrahim Zadran smashed 177 runs, to achieve a thrilling eight run win in ICC Champions Trophy. Imran knocked 177 runs off 146 balls to give England a formidable target of 325 runs to chase. England’s Joe Root hit a masterful 120 runs off 111 balls, but could not prevent his team from defeat. Afghanistan is playing for the first time in ICC Champions Trophy, but Ibrahim dazzled all with his brilliant batting. This is the second time that Afghanistan has beaten England in an ICC tournament. The Afghan team has lot of talent but lacks experience.

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On Mahashivratri, the last day of Maha Kumbh, the number of devotees taking a holy dip may touch 3 crore by the end of the day. The final figure of devotees at the 45-day-long Maha Kumbh may touch 66 to 67 crore. This is almost double the size of USA’s population, which is 34 crore. The huge turnout of devotees has unnerved the opposition, which had been feeding fake videos about death of thousands in stampede. Yogi Adityanath had remarked that “while the devouts will find their faith, vultures will search for bodies and pigs will look for garbage”. Akhilesh Yadav is a seasoned politician who understands the loaded meaning behind this remark. Yogi is right when he alleges that fake narratives were sought to be created since Day 1. You will remember, when the Maha Kumbh began, it was alleged that special trains were running empty, but visuals of huge gatherings rubbished this charge. It was alleged that the water quality at Sangam was not fit for bathing, but devotees replied to this charge on camera. When it was alleged that thousands died in the stampede and bodies were thrown into Ganga, those levelling such allegations did not know this was the age of AI, and several thousands drones and CCTV cameras were taking live visuals. How can anyone dare to throw the bodies in the river? Yogi rubbished each and every charge that was made. This was necessary. Each fake narrative was demolished. These fake news had no impact on the millions of devotees who thronged the Maha Kumbh. The numbers continued to increase. People were watching live visuals on TV and were looking at the flow of river Ganga. It is a bitter truth that if such a huge congregation of any other religion had taken place, none would have dared to make baseless charges. This Maha Kumbh will be remembered for ages to come.

CAG report : The truth about Delhi liquor scam

The CAG report on the controversial Delhi liquor policy, placed in the Assembly, clearly states that Delhi government suffered a loss of more than Rs 2,000 crore and licensing process norms were not followed. The report says, rules were framed without the sanction of Lt. Gov. and cabinet in order to benefit the liquor cartels. There was no transparency while fixing liquor prices. Interestingly, AAP leader Atishi claimed that the CAG report was related to the liquor policy framed during Sheila Dixit’s rule. Atishi claimed that the losses were not due to the policy but due to Lt. Governor, CBI and ED. Atishi and AAP leaders are good at giving spin to facts. Their policy seems to be: Attack is the best defence. The CAG report presented on Tuesday clearly states that the new liquor policy was framed during Arvind Kejriwal’s rule and it was meant to benefit a handful of businessmen. It was Kejriwal and his men who drafted the policy causing loss to the exchequer. CBI and ED are already probing the charges, but AAP is yet to give specific replies to the charges made in the excise scam. AAP leaders forget that the government in NCT has changed and Rekha Gupta’s government has access to all files. Neither can the truth be hidden nor can a spin be given. Anymore.

A new son on the rise in Bihar

In Bihar, a new son is on the rise. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s 49-year-old son Nishant Kumar has appealed to people to vote for his father. He has also appealed that his father be declared the CM candidate for the NDA alliance. Nishant Kumar is unmarried and he had been keeping a low profile after completing his studies in engineering. On Tuesday, a billboard was erected outside JD(U) office “appealing” to Nishant Kumar to join politics and lead the party. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav advised Nishant Kumar to marry first before joining politics. He also advised him to beware of alliance leaders like Chirag Paswan and Jitanram Manjhi. Till now, Nitish Kumar’s son has been staying away from active politics, but nobody can say with finality whether he would contest this year’s Bihar assembly elections or not. Rumours are rife in the Bihar capital about Nishant being pressurized to join politics and take over his father’s legacy. Nishant is being told by his close advisers that his father has his own support base in Bihar, which can be transferred to him. Some of them have told Nishant that he should take up the responsibility given the health of his father. Indications are that Nishant Kumar’s heart is now melting. Slowly.

Preity Zinta’s courageous step

A false news about film actor Preity Zinta is a clear example of how social media is being misused to spread lies. Kerala Congress spread a lie about Preity Zinta that she had taken Rs 18 crore loan from the crisis ridden New India Cooperative Bank in Mumbai, and she got her loan written off after she reportedly allowed her social media handle to be used to favour BJP. Preity Zinta reacted immediately. She wrote on X: “I operate my social media accounts myself and shame on you for promoting FAKE NEWS! No one wrote off anything or any loan for me. I’m shocked that a political party or their representative is promoting fake news & indulging in vile gossip & click baits using my name & images. For the record, a loan was taken and FULLY PAID BACK – over 10 years ago. Hope this clarifies and helps, so there are no misunderstandings in future.” By the time, Preity Zinta reacted, thousands of netizens wrote defamatory remarks about her. I would like to praise Preity Zinta for showing courage by putting the truth before the people and forced Kerala Congress to tender apology. Normally, most of the celebrities ignore such fake news, but it encourages those who peddle lies on social media. Such liars and fake news peddlers must not be spared. If they refuse to apologize, they must be dragged to courts. Until and unless two or three fake news peddlers are not punished, this trend will not stop.

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As the curtains are ready to fall at the Maha Kumbh on Mahashivratri (Wednesday), a sea of devotees is still heading towards Prayagraj to take a holy dip at Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. The Maha Kumbh began on January 13 and till Tuesday, nearly 64 crore devotees have taken a holy dip. This is the largest number of devotees ever to have congregated at Kumbh in its entire history.

The entire Maha Kumbh area has been declared a no-vehicle zone, as over a crore people are expected to join the last Amrit Snan on Mahashivratri. There have been five Amrit Snans till now, on January 13, 14 , 29 and on February 3 and 12.

The Uttar Pradesh government is paying close attention to crowd management. All vehicles approaching Prayagraj are being stopped nearly 20 km away, while the parking area has been increased. Devotees are not being allowed to stay at the Triveni Sangam and other bathing ghats, once their holy dip is over.

The craze has caught up with several top Mumbai film industry stars and politicians. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, film actors Katrina Kaif, Akshay Kumar, Raveena Tandon, Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde, minister Pankaja Munde, BJP MP Ravi Kishen were among celebrities who took a holy dip on Monday.

In the state assembly, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath lambasted the opposition parties for trying to deride the arrangements made for Maha Kumbh. He compared their criticisms with vultures that feast on unclaimed bodies and pigs which feed on excreta.

Yogi said, millions of devotees have praised the arrangements at the Maha Kumbh, “but the problem with Samajwadis and Leftists is that, they remain confused throughout their lives and become Sanatani only at the end….Most of the opposition leaders have quietly gone to Maha Kumbh and taken their holy dip.”

Yogi Adityanath has won the political battle that was launched by former CM Akhilesh Yadav over the issue of “poor management” at the Maha Kumbh. Yogi is confident the final figure at Maha Kumbh would cross 65 crore. In other words, nearly half the population of India would have taken a holy dip by the time Maha Kumbh is over.

By successfully organizing the Maha Kumbh, Yogi Adityanath has given a clear reply to his political rivals. The consequences will be seen two years from now. We can say that Yogi has already laid the foundation for his UP assembly election campaign. The “punya” (divine blessings) that has been earned from Maha Kumbh will not only help Yogi, but also provide zest to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in achieving his dream of a Viksit Bharat.

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Uttar Pradesh Police and Gujarat Police have swung into action to nab the culprits who sold explicit videos of women and girls bathing and changing clothes at the ongoing Kumbh Mela. Three persons have been arrested by Gujarat Police, while UP Police has registered 13 FIRs.

The culprits, part of an international ring, were offering such explicit videos for sale on the darknet and their connections have been traced to Atlanta, USA and Romania.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry at the Centre has blocked 17 websites and social media platforms, where these explicit videos were being offered for sale. In order to evade the authorities, the accused had opened several channels like Mahakumbh-2025, BABA KA VLOGEE, Mela Mahotsav and Hindu Official.

Some of the culprits had opened accounts name Russia Dwivedi, Desi Russia Videos, Girls Live on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram and were offering to sell videos of girls bathing and changing clothes at Maha Kumbh. The videos were being sold at rates ranging ffrom Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000.

Meanwhile, UP government has banned use of cameras for making videos and images at the bathing ghats in Maha Kumbh. CRPF and state police personnel have been asked to keep a vigil against those trying to make videos at the bathing ghats. Announcements are being made at the bathing ghats informing devotees that use of camera for making videos of people bathing was not allowed.

At a time when crores of devotees have been attending the Maha Kumbh, some sick-minded people joined the hordes of devotees and have made explicit videos of women bathing. They then sold these videos on the dark web for money.

Alarm bells rang when the search term “open bathing” in India started trending between February 12 and 18. Among the 17 social media accounts identified by UP Police, there were three Facebook accounts, two Instagram pages, one Telegram channel and 12 YouTube channels. In some of the cases, the accused were using spycams. .

Creating explicit videos during the sacred religious gathering of Maha Kumbh is not only a crime, but a sin, which cannot be pardoned. One can hardly imagine, young people resorting to this dubious method of making videos of women and girls bathing, who are of the same age of their mothers and sisters.

These women devotees had come to Maha Kumbh to take a holy dip and the sinners were waiting with their cameras to film them.

Everybody must remain alert at the Maha Kumbh and inform police if they notice people indulging in such activity. Such people need to be thrown into jail in order to strike fear in their hearts. This can be achieved by UP Police only through popular support.

What happened in Gujarat was more serious. Ahmedabad Police was probing the case of a CCTV footage of a labour room inside a hospital in Rajkot. Video from this CCTV footage was being sold on Telegram channel. In course of investigation, explicit videos of bathing women at Maha Kumbh also surfaced. A man named Prajjwal Teli was running this racket from Latur, Maharashtra and he was being helped by Praj Rajendra Patil from Sangli.

Patil was nabbed by Gujarat Police from Sangli. Joint CP Crime Branch of Ahmedabad Police Sharad Singhal disclosed that this gang was getting help from insiders working at shopping malls, hospitals and other public places. It was found that the criminals had hacked CCTV footage with the help of hackers sitting in Romania and Atlanta. The network was quite large. One of the accused revealed the name of Chandra Prakash Phool Chand, based in Prayagraj. Chandra Prakash admitted that he was downloading explicit videos from other YouTube channels and posting on his channel to raise views. All three accused have been taken on 9 days’ remand from a local court.

It was found in course of investigation that explicit cctv footage from marriage halls, spas and hospitals were being posted on Telegram channel. The two accused from Maharashtra had earned nearly Rs 8 lakhs during the last eight months by selling explicit videos. The fourth accused is absconding.

Police have advised people to remain on alert about remote access that they have about CCTV cameras installed at their homes. Since IP-based CCTV cameras are active in hospitals, malls, offices and homes, there is chance of such footage being hacked by unscrupulous persons.

This internet game is dangerous. IP-based CCTV cameras are available cheap, and it is easier to hack them. On YouTube, one can find explicit videos from CCTV that have been procured through hackers.

The hackers sell these explicit private videos through different websites. One must understand that CCTV cameras installed in homes can be hacked even if the cameras are switched off.

Secondly, do not use your phone or laptop password in front of IP-based cameras. Hackers can identify your passwords and rob your money. In this age of Artificial Intelligence and IP-based CCTV, precaution is the key word.

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The unadulterated enthusiasm among devotees heading towards Maha Kumbh and returning home after taking a holy dip at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati is spreading fast. In all directions. By Tuesday (February 18), more than 55 crore people had taken a holy dip at Prayagraj. Only eight days are left for the Maha Kumbh to end and there is no sign of this excitement ebbing. By Tuesday noon, 59 lakh devotees had taken a dip since early morning. Looking at the flow of devotees from all directions towards Maha Kumbh, one can easily assume that the total number might cross the 60 crore mark by Mahashivratri (February 26), when the congregation ends. People from all corners of India are flocking towards Prayagraj and Indian Railways is bearing the full brunt of this mega flow of devotees.

Since more than 170 years, Indian Railway has been the cheapest and easiest mode of travel for the common man. Indian Railways had made massive arrangements for Maha Kumbh by running more than 13,000 special trains, but all these have proved to be inadequate. There are huge crowds thronging at all major stations in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and National Capital Region. Railway officials are devising new methods daily for crowd management at stations.

On Monday, I paid a visit to the war room at Railway Ministry to have a first-hand view of how officials are coping with the situation. Each train going to Maha Kumbh was being monitored at the war room, which was working 24×7. I was surprised to see the Railway Board chairman Satish Kumar himself present inside the war room. He had served as general manager in the past in Lucknow and Prayagraj and he knew the railway routes like the back of his hand. The director general of Railway Protection Force, Manoj Yadava, was also present, monitoring the situation inside the war room. Indian Railways had made preparations for Maha Kumbh nearly two and a half years ago and a huge infrastructure was created at Prayagraj. But nobody had any inkling that more than 50 crore devotees would flock to Maha Kumbh. The Railway Board had to change its strategy.

Indian Railways has now started issuing four types of colour coded tickets to passengers heading in different directions. For example, for travellers heading towards Kanpur, Delhi, Ludhiana, Chandigarh or Jammu from Prayagraj, they are issued green coloured tickets, so that volunteers deployed at entry points can guide them towards their respective platforms. For those going to Varanasi, Ayodhya, Jaunpur, Pratapgarh, etc. travellers are issued red coded tickets, for those going towards Bihar, Bengal or Odisha, blue coded tickets are being given, and for those going towards MP and other nearby states, yellow coded tickets are being given at Prayagraj. The holding areas at the station have been coloured in four different codes, for devotees to go there and wait for their trains.

Special trains are being operated from eight different stations around Prayagraj. On February 16, 388 trains took off from Prayagraj carrying more than 18 lakh devotees to their destinations. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is working round-the-clock overseeing arrangements. 1186 CCTV cameras have been set up at different railway stations around Prayagraj to keep a watch on the crowds.

At New Delhi railway station, crowd management norms have been changed after the unfortunate Saturday night stampede. Sale of platform tickets at New Delhi has been discontinued till February 26. To avoid recurrence of stampede, entry to platforms will allowed for passengers holding valid tickets only. Travellers will have to stand in queues when trains arrive at the station to avoid push and shove situation.

Most of the travellers coming to Prayagraj by trains are from Bihar and Bengal. Huge crowds have been noticed at several major Bihar stations like Patna and Sasaram. In Uttar Pradesh, there were crowds at Kashi, Ayodhya, Mirzapur and Chandauli stations, but they were under control. On highways, traffic snarls still exist on roads leading towards Prayagraj. Almost the entire Prayagraj city is chock-a-block with vehicles and walking pilgrims.

On Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raising crowd management issues, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday that people should not forget that the crowd this time was five times more compared to the 2013 Kumbh Mela. Yogi said, only 12 crore devotees came to Kumbh Mela in 2013 in a time span of 55 days. The Ardha Kumbh took place in 2019 which was attended by nearly 24 crore people. But this time, at the Maha Kumbh, 55 crore devotees have already come in 36 days and eight days are still left. Using fiery logic, Yogi Adityanath said, the days are gone when everything Hindutva or Bharatiya was being sniggered at and the nation is still bearing the consequences. ‘We were told that anything that is Bharat is not important, and everything outside Bharat is significant. The consequences are there for all to see. It was Modi Ji who first made Indians feel the significance of being a Bharatiya and connected them to Bharatiya values and beliefs’, Yogi said.

I think Yogi Adityanath is right. The Maha Kumbh has given all Indians a chance to watch and feel the rich legacy of Sanatan dharma. It was not an easy task to arrange the Maha Kumbh on such a gigantic scale. There were two options: One, either allow only 10 to 12 crore devotees to come and claim that the Maha Kumbh was great, or Two: make arrangements for 50 crore people to come and make arrangements for their stay, food, bath and meditation. The first path was not risky, but the second path was full of challenges. Yogi Adityanath preferred the second path. Merely creating a huge Mela Kshetra was not sufficient. Arrangements were made for stay, parking, pontoon bridges for easy access to the river, cleanliness, hygiene and facilities for treatment, apart from ensuring that the thousands of ascetics and sadhus are given their due respect.

Making all such arrangements was not an easy job. Railways had a big role in these preparations. 300 to 350 special trains were run daily. The rail tracks were the same, the staff was the same and yet, arrangements were made for crores of devotees. This is unimaginable by itself. Ashwini Vaishnaw took up the biggest challenge in the history of Indian Railways by ensuring the largest movement of travellers ever. He personally monitored the preparations that had begun two and a half years ago. It was only because of this that 55 crore people took their holy dip at Prayagraj and prayed to Maa Ganga. This is not only a world record. It is a topic which requires to be researched with proper attention.

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Nearly two crore devotees took a holy dip at the Maha Kumbh on the occasion of Maghi Purnima on Wednesday. The population of the city of Prayagraj is roughly 60 lakhs, and the devotees that reached the Maha Kumbh was four times that number. There was no stampede, no panic, and the devotees took their holy dip amidst chants of hymns and bhajans.

The Maha Kumbh has completed almost one month, and more than 50 crore people have taken their holy dip in the last 30 days. Except India and China, this figure of 50 crore is more than the population of any country. If one adds the population of 119 countries of the world, it could reach 50 crore. This is really unimaginable and unbelievable.

Concerns were being expressed by opposition leaders over how the UP government would handle such a huge number of devotees and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has come out with flying colours.

The day was really challenging, Yogi woke up soon after midnight and reached the war room set up at the Chief Minister’s residence as live visuals of devotees at the Maha Kumbh started pouring in. Yogi personally monitored the flood of devotees with UP Police chief Prashant Kumar, Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad and other senior officials sitting by his side.

By 11 am, when it appeared that everything was smooth, Yogi left his residence. At Baghpat in western UP, Yogi apologized to the crowd for being late and told people that he was hopeful about the total number of devotees crossing 50 crore by the end of the day.

Without naming former CM Akhilesh Yadav, Yogi lashed out at leaders who were trying to create a scare and dissuading devotees not to go to Prayagraj. “People know what the reality is and they are not going to listen to those leaders who sneak into the Maha Kumbh to take a holy dip”, Yogi said.

Yogi’s top officials were on the toes to ensure that there were no unnecessary jams in Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Chitrakoot. Senior policemen were deployed to ensure that there was no obstruction in movement of people and vehicles.

The first challenge that Yogi Adityanath faced was, how to handle the huge crowd that would assemble at the Maha Kumbh. Managing such a huge number is not an easy job, but the entire world has now noticed how the crowd was managed in a peaceful manner.

Yogi’s second challenge was, more and more devotees were moving towards Maha Kumbh from different states like MP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bengal and Odisha, after seeing visuals of other devotees taking a holy dip on TV.

Yogi’s third challenge was, a large number of devotees after attending the Maha Kumbh were going to Ayodhya for the darshan of Lord Ram Lala at the new temple and were also visiting Varanasi to take the blessings of Lord Vishwanath. These two cities were facing the spillover of devotees returning from Prayagraj. Naturally, more police force was required and arrangements had to be made for food, water, sanitation and stay for the devotees. This was a huge responsibility for Yogi’s government.

The final challenge came from politicians from the opposite spectrum. They were taking potshots at Yogi after the stampede that took place on Mauni Amavasya. Some alleged that thousands of devotees died, some other criticized what they called “failure of crowd management”, and most of the opposition leaders blamed “VIP culture”. But the fact is, leaders who were levelling allegations, went quietly to the Maha Kumbh, took their holy dip and came back unannounced.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh took a dip on Wednesday, while Akhilesh Yadav had gone to Maha Kumbh a few days ago. Both admitted that they faced no problems while going to the Maha Kumbh as commoners.

By ensuring perfect crowd arrangement at Maha Kumbh, Yogi has given a stinging reply to the opposition. Yogi showed that Akhilesh Yadav’s allegations do not hold water.

By ensuring that more than 50 crore devotees went to the Maha Kumbh and returned safely, Yogi Adityanath has displayed his dexterity in crowd management and he deserves praise.

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At a time when millions of Indians at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj are presenting wonderful images about India’s cultural ethos before an unbelieving world, a handful of YouTubers, in order to make quick money, have brought shame to our country by crossing the limits of decency. They made vulgar remarks about family values and uttered nonsense about the private parts of females in the guise of ‘dark humor’.

Some of their remarks were so cheap and grossly vulgar that I cannot repeat here. In TV shows, comedians in the past used to make bawdy remarks, but they never crossed the limits of decency.

The YouTubers in question, claim to be social media influencers. They were taking part in the show ‘India’s Got Latent’, but after a nationwide outrage over these vulgar and cheap remarks, YouTube had to block the videos of the show on its platform. YouTubers Ranveer Allahabadia at as the judge in the show, and content creator Apoorva Makhija, standup comedians Ashish Chanchlani and Jaspreet Singh on the panel. Samay Raina was also present at the host in the show that was shot at The Habitat Club in Mumbai.

On social media, negative things become ‘viral’ immediately. There was a barrage of objections from viewers, and two lawyers of Bombay High Court wrote a letter to the Police Commissioner and the Women’s Commission to take action. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis promised stern action against those who crossed the limits of decency.

The matter is serious because Ranveer Allahabadia has a huge following on social media and his podcast channel on YouTube has 10.5 million subscribers. His other channel BeerBiceps has more than 8 million subscribers. Allahabadia has more than 6 lakh followers on X and 4.5 million followers on Instagram. Mumbai Police has already begun investigation and police reached Allahabadia’s residence on Tuesday.

The YouTubers who have made sleazy and obscene comments about parents do not deserve pardon. One must remember they did not commit the mistake unknowingly, but were following a pre-planned, pre-written script. This was not a slip of tongue. It was a copy of a prepared skit from an English show.

This incident has exposed YouTubers who have no morals, no values. Their only aim is to earn more by raising the number of their followers. None of them bother about the effect that they leave on society. I am astonished that some political parties and marketing experts start considering such people as influencers, by watching the number of their followers and subscribers. They believe that in order to connect with the new generation, such ‘influencers’ must be used.

Many of the YouTubers doing good work have less number of subscribers and followers. Nobody thinks about them. The YouTubers who have peddled obscenity have done an irresponsible act and they have harmed the good work done by other YouTubers. They have brought the credibility of all YouTubers to question.

This has not happened for the first time. A few days ago, one YouTubers was caught selling snake venom. Those who call such people as influencers must realize that the ‘influence’ of such people is always temporary. In order to gain credibility and make a lasting place in the hearts of people, one needs moral strength and a felling of responsibility towards society.

Credibility is the key to a permanent place in media. And this is missing in the case of several of the YouTubers.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam during the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela on Wednesday. He stayed for only two hours at the Maha Kumbh, performed prayers for Maa Ganga as per Vedic rites and returned to Delhi quickly, in order to avoid any inconvenience to lakhs of devotees who had gone to Prayagraj.

On his return, Modi went on X tweeting, “I feel unlimited peace and satisfaction on getting the blessings of Maa Ganga, I prayed for the welfare, prosperity, happiness and better health of my countrymen”.

Politicians from opposition parties took a dig at Modi for taking a holy dip. Congress, Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena (Uddhav) connected Modi’s holy dip with the Delhi assembly elections. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, Modi could have chosen some other day, but since there was polling in Delhi, Modi wanted Delhi voters to look at his images on television.

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said, Modi is a master in event management and this was the reason why he chose Delhi polling day for taking a holy dip. UP Congress chief Ajay Rai said, Modi did not perform the holy dip fully and there was no point in taking half a dip.

I do not find anything wrong in Prime Minister Modi offering prayers to the Sun God and Maa Ganga while taking a holy dip at Sangam. If political leaders think that taking a holy dip will bring in votes in Delhi elections, then who stopped Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi from doing so? They could also have taken a holy dip. The Maha Kumbh is open to all.

One leader commented that Modi had taken a holy dip in order to “wash off his sins”. Did he want to say that millions of Indians who took a holy dip at Sangam had committed sins? Does he want to say that all the sadhus, Shankaracharyas and ascetics who have taken a holy dip were washing off their sins?

I think those who use such language do not understand the true meaning of Indian culture and Sanatan dharma, nor are they away of its true legacy. These leaders do not understand the sentiments and faith of millions of Indians. But since some leaders have this habit of taking digs at Modi, they leave no opportunity. Comments of such people should be ignored.

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Today I would like to mention about concerns being expressed by a cross-section of people, who want to know about the ground situation in Maha Kumbh. They want to know whether the place is still overcrowded, whether devotees are being able to take a holy dip in peace, about millions of devotees who are stuck on the national highways leading to Prayagraj. There are hundreds of families who have taken a holy dip, but are waiting to leave the city.

In order to ease the situation, the state administration has declared the entire Maha Kumbh area as a “no-vehicle zone”. All VIP passes have been cancelled. No vehicles, except those belonging to the police and state government and sadhu ‘akhadas’ are being allowed inside Kumbh Nagari. Till Friday, more than two lakh vehicles remained stranded on highways leading to Prayagraj. They will be allowed to go ahead only after the city is cleared of crowds who have overstayed after taking their bath.

On Mauni Amavasya Day (Wednesday), more than 7.6 crore devotees took their bath at the Maha Kumbh after the stampede took place post-midnight.

On Thursday, there was early morning fog at the Maha Kumbh, but there was no sign of the enthusiasm of devotees ebbing away. More than 2.6 crore devotees took their dip in Ganga on Thursday. Everything went smoothly and the situation has normalized within 24 hours due to effective intervention on part of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

Yogi has directed officials to take care of two things:

One, those who have already bathed at Maha Kumbh must return safely,

Two, millions of devotees who have been stranded on highways and other nearby cities, must be allowed to come to Prayagraj in a regulated manner.

Seven major changes were made at the Maha Kumbh. The entire area has been declared a ‘no-vehicle zone’ with exemptions for vehicles bringing essential commodities and all emergency vehicles. All VIP passes have been cancelled till February 5. All roads leading to the Mela area have been converted as “one-way”.

Entry of vehicles towards all pontoon bridges have been stopped. 29 out of 30 pontoon bridges have been opened for devotees. Half of these bridges will be used by devotees for taking their holy dip, and the other half will be used for devotees to return. One pontoon bridge has been kept reserved for police and emergency services.

Authorities are making appeal to all devotees not to overstay at the bathing ghats and return. Volunteers are requesting pilgrims not to sit on the roads to avoid chances of being run over. UP chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and Director General of Police Prashant Kumar were specifically sent by Yogi to Maha Kumbh on Thursday to oversee the arrangements.

Indian Railways, under close supervision of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, ran more than 300 special trains for devotees returning from Prayagraj and four other suburban stations. Every special train is leaving after a gap of four minutes carrying devotees returning from Maha Kumbh.

Holding areas have been created at the Prayagraj Junction for more than 25,000 devotees to avoid overcrowding on the platforms. In Khushrow Bagh, holding area has been created for nearly one lakh devotees. Devotees are being sent to platforms as per their destinations. Ashwini Vaishnaw said, 364 special trains were run on Wednesday from Prayagraj to carry nearly 12 lakh travellers to their destinations.

Making massive arrangements for crores of devotees coming to Sangam and then returning to their destinations is a gargantuan task. The number of devotees who have come to Maha Kumbh has exceeded all expectations. When these devotees return to their cities and villages, they tell people that the arrangements at Maha Kumbh are fine, and then more batches of devotees leave for Prayagraj. This seems to be an unending cycle.

Another problem is about lakhs of devotees who are unwilling to leave Maha Kumbh even after taking a holy dip. They are satisfied with the arrangements made for food and shelter. They want to stay for a day or two more. Authorities have started appealing to these devotees to leave as soon as possible to allow others to come and take their holy dip. Because of the huge backlog of devotees waiting to come to Maha Kumbh, traffic movement on highways has become slower.

Another problem relates to devotees who have added Ayodhya and Kashi to their itineraries, so that then can visit the new Ram Janmabhoomi temple and Kashi Vishwanath shrine after attending Maha Kumbh. Both Ayodhya and Varanasi are facing a huge influx of devotees. In Ayodhya, schools up to Class 12 have been closed till February 5 because of the influx. Entry of four-wheelers and two-wheelers into Ayodhya has been banned. Lakhs of devotees are lining up to pay obeisance to the idol of Ram Lala.

I would, therefore, appeal to all to exercise patience and wait till the situation eases. All arrangements are being made for their holy dip, darshan and safe return to their respective homes.

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