President, vice president, PM, home minister likely to attend Maha Kumbh: Adityanath

Mahakumbh, PTI: Nagar Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are also likely to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela. Addressing a press conference in Prayagraj after reviewing the preparations for Mauni Amavasya, Adityanath informed that programmes of the president, vice president, prime minister and home minister are planned at the Maha Kumbh. Former president Ram Nath Kovind is currently involved with the Maha Kumbh's organisation, he said.

Adityanath said he was unable to take a holy dip at the Sangam on Makar Sankranti and Paush Purnima as he had chosen to restrict himself for the convenience of seers and devotees. "A large number of devotees are arriving at the Maha Kumbh from across the country and abroad. Many foreign devotees were deeply moved after taking a holy dip at the Sangam," the chief minister said. He added that European tourists singing praises of Prayagraj was truly overwhelming. "They do not know Hindi, Sanskrit or Awadhi, but they were chanting Hindi chaupais, Sanskrit mantras and verses connected to Sanatan Dharma with great devotion. The reverence they expressed for Mother Ganga and the sacred places here was overwhelming," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.

He highlighted the grand scale of the Maha Kumbh and lauded Prime Minister Modi's vision for the event. "The main bathing events of Paush Purnima and Makar Sankranti have concluded, while the two Maha Snans on Mauni Amavasya on January 29 and on Basant Panchami on February 3 are still to come. More than 7,000 organisations have already arrived," he said. The chief minister informed that an aerial survey of the entire Maha Kumbh area was conducted on Sunday.