Union Budget has failed to a provide roadmap for ‘Viksit Bharat’: Akhilesh

Akhilesh Yadav criticizes Union Budget as benefiting only the rich, questions government's handling of Maha Kumbh stampede.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday (February 11, 2025) said that the Union Budget was “only for the rich people of the country”, and had failed to provide any roadmap for ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India).

Participating in the discussion on the Budget in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Yadav also said that the Uttar Pradesh government had not provided the final number on how many people had died in the stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.

He questioned the absence of drones promised for surveillance at the Maha Kumbh. “Where is ‘Digital India’? They are not yet able to provide the number of the people who died or were lost,” Mr. Yadav alleged.

For the first time, the Opposition leader said, there was “a 300 km traffic jam on way to the Kumbh Mela” and “they used two Chief Ministers [of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh] to stop the jam”.

“What is the benefit of reaching the moon when you cannot solve problems on the ground?” the MP from Kannauj said .

The Maha Kumbh is being held at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh from from January 13-February 26. The stampede took place on January 29, ‘Mauni Amavasya’, one of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar. The U.P. government has said at least 30 persons lost their lives and 60 persons were injured in the incident.

Claiming that a few people held the entire wealth of the nation, Mr. Yadav said “the extent of the matter is such that free ration is being distributed to 80 crore people in the country”.