BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari has accused the Samajwadi Party and Congress of exploiting Hindu faith for political appeasement. His remarks come in response to claims by Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi, President of the All India Muslim Jamaat (AIMJ), who alleged that the Maha Kumbh is being organised on Waqf land.

According to ANI, Bhandari remarked, "The Samajwadi Party and Congress have consistently played with the faith of Hindus in their bid for appeasement. These are the very parties whose members compared Sanatana Dharma to dengue, malaria, and AIDS, and they also deliberately kept the Hanuman temple in Sambhal locked for 40 years. Now, they are supporting these maulanas and radicals who absurdly claim that the Maha Kumbh is being held on Waqf land."