Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Saturday called SP leader Azam Khan responsible for the 2013 Kumbh Mela stampede saying the tragedy happened because of his incompetence.
Forty-two people died in a stampede during the 2013 Maha Kumbh in Allahabad, now Prayagraj.
"A person who did not know the ABCD of Kumbh Mela was made the minister for Kumbh," Maurya said addressing a conclave here.
"In 2012, I was an MLA, and in 2013, the Kumbh Mela was organised in Prayagraj. Akhilesh Yadav was then the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and he did not go to take a bath. His 'uncle' Mohd Azam Khan was the urban development minister and had the responsibility of organising the Kumbh.
"There was a stampede, and people lost their lives. Are people like these capable of running the government? A person who does not know what is the ABCD of Kumbh Mela was made the minister for Kumbh," he said.
The BJP leader said that in 2013 even before Narendra Modi was declared the party's prime ministerial candidate he had vouched for him as the future winner.
The politician also said such is the success of the Modi government that his opponents are finding it hard to find a prime minister candidate.