Opposition Creates Ruckus In Parliament Over 'Fudging' Kumbh Stampede Death Toll, Raise Slogans

Parliament's Budget session resumed on Monday morning with further disruption as opposition MPs staged vociferous protests over a stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj last week, which resulted in the deaths of 30 people.

The Lok Sabha was filled with slogans of "Kumbh pe jawab do" as angry opposition MPs stormed the Well of the House.

They demanded a list of the deceased, accusing the Uttar Pradesh government of hiding the actual death toll after it initially delayed confirming the fatalities.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called for order and accused the opposition of trying to prevent the House from functioning. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also appealed to the MPs to restore order.

Today's chaos was preceded by similar scenes last week. On Saturday, there was sloganeering and some disorder during Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's reading of the Union Budget for 2025, with Akhilesh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party leading the protests.

After several minutes of chanting, Yadav led his MPs in a symbolic walk-out, although they returned shortly afterward. Before the budget presentation, Yadav had told reporters, "... there is a more important thing than a 'budget' at this time."

"... people at the Maha Kumbh are still searching for their relatives... many have died, but the government has failed to provide numbers of the deceased or the missing. Hindus have lost their lives... the government must wake up."