The Mahakumbh stampede in Uttar Pradesh early on Wednesday has snowballed into a political controversy after BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari criticised chief minister Mamata Banerjee for her tongue-in-cheek reference to Ganga Sagar Mela to subtly question the planning and preparedness of the arrangements at the massive religious gathering in Allahabad.

"I am deeply saddened to learn of the tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh, which has claimed at least 15 innocent lives. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved pilgrim families. My learning from our Gangasagar Mela is that planning and care must be maximal in matters relating to pilgrims' lives in vast assemblies of people. Prayers for the departed souls,” she posted on her X handle on Wednesday morning.

The chief minister has consistently criticised the Union government for denying Ganga Sagar Mela the "national fair" status, arguing that this deprives the state of central financial assistance allocated for the Kumbh Mela.

Adhikari, who is also the leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly and is in Delhi at present campaigning for the Assembly elections, responded to the chief minister’s post and accused her of "hypocrisy".

Taking to X handle, Adhikari said: “Even though your (Mamata Banerjee’s) expression of sadness towards the victims of the tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh felt genuine at the beginning, but the subtle dig regarding the comparison with the arrangement of Gangasagar Mela exposed your hypocritical attitude. It seems you were waiting for the opportunity to feign sorrow.”

“For your kind information, you don't have and never will have the opportunity in your lifetime to plan and make arrangements for the assembly of more than 5 crore people in a single place on a single day, like the ‘Amrit Snan’ or the holy dip on Mauni Amavasya; a ritual bath considered one of the holiest events in the Maha Kumbh Mela,” he added.

Not only Mamata, but BJP's rivals criticised the Narendra Modi and the Yogi Adityanath governments for their mismanagement, alleging that the administration’s special focus on VIP movement over common devotees was responsible for the tragic incident.

Adityanath's government in Uttar Pradesh has been praising itself for the precision planning it implemented for the 45-day-long Mahakumbh and he, along with Modi, blamed past governments for stampedes at the Kumbh Mela.

Trinamool Congress on their official X handle wrote: “The State Administration under CM @myogiadityanath chose to prioritise creating massive hype to draw in crowds and money, completely neglecting their fundamental responsibility of ensuring the safety of devotees. It is their CATASTROPHIC FAILURE in emergency preparedness that has led to this AVOIDABLE LOSS OF LIFE.”

“It is extremely unfortunate that the Yogi government has used the Mahakumbh solely for marketing purposes. The Modi and Yogi governments have exaggerated and heavily promoted the Mahakumbh to gain political mileage in the Delhi Assembly elections and push their agenda of religious politics,” the president of the state Congress committee, Subhankar Sarkar said.

“What is truly condemnable is that while hosting a grand event like the Mahakumbh in his own state, the chief minister left Uttar Pradesh and was instead busy campaigning for the BJP in the Delhi Assembly elections! Despite using religion as a tool for marketing, the BJP has shown no real concern for the safety and security of ordinary people’s lives,” he added.