Lucknow Press
Maha Kumbh 2024: The Maha Kumbh Mela administration has said that the shops in the fair will be allotted only through the tender process. Earlier, the Akhara Parishad had demanded from the fair administration that to ensure the sanctity and purity of the Maha Kumbh Mela, food shops should not be allotted to non-Sanatanis. Kumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand said, ‘The shops that are allotted are done through the tender process. The shops will be allotted as per the tender process. This is a big fair where people will come from all over the world… we will allot shops through this process.’
Shops in the Kumbh and Maha Kumbh fairs held in Prayagraj have always been allotted through a tender process in which there is no restriction on allocating shops to any particular community. However, after several videos of mixing dirt in food items went viral recently, the Akhada Parishad has been opposing the allotment of food shops to non-Sanatanists.
‘The protest is not against any particular class’
On the other hand, Akhada Parishad President Mahant Ravindra Puri once again said after a meeting in the auditorium of Panchayati Akhada Shri Niranjani on Friday, ‘We are not against any particular community. After the recent video of food being served mixed with spit, urine etc. came to light, our demand is that juice shops, food shops, dhabas etc. should not be given to non-Sanatanists.’
‘Religion can be corrupted’
He said, ‘Sages, saints and ascetics from all over the country come to this fair and non-Sanatani people can corrupt their religion by mixing filth in the food items. Therefore, our demand is that food shops should be allotted only to Sanatanis.’ The Akhada Parishad president said on Thursday about the dispute between the sages and saints in the fair office, ‘We are sages of Akhadas and small disputes keep happening in the Akhadas. This should not be blown out of proportion.’
