Raj Thackeray Refuses to Drink Water from Kumbh Mela, Criticizes Government Over Ganga Pollution

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has criticized the central government for failing to clean the Ganga River. Speaking at the 19th foundation day event of MNS in Pimpri-Chinchwad, he revealed that he refused to drink water brought from the Kumbh Mela by his party member Bala Nandgaonkar.

"I have seen videos on social media where people at the Kumbh Mela take a dip in the river and rub their bodies while bathing. Our party leader Nandgaonkar brought water from there in a kamandalu and asked me to drink it. But who would drink such water?" Thackeray stated.

He emphasized that the country had recently survived a deadly pandemic like COVID-19, during which wearing masks was mandatory. However, he claimed that people have not learned any lessons from such situations. "Large crowds are gathering in the name of religious rituals. Faith should be meaningful, but people should not blindly follow superstitions. They must think critically," he added.