Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made an unscheduled statement on the Mahakumbh in the Lok Sabha, saying the religious event symbolised the "great glory of Bharat" but remaining silent on the two deadly stampedes related to it, inviting uproarious protest from the Opposition.

On Tuesday, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on the number of persons killed and injured in the Mahakumbh stampede, junior home minister Nityanand Rai too sidestepped the issue, saying no data was available with the Centre since the matter was a "state subject".

"No such data is maintained centrally. ‘Public order’ and ‘police’ are state subjects as per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. Organisation of religious congregations, crowd management, provision of amenities to devotees, prevention of any type of disaster during the congregation, etc are closely linked to ‘public order’ which is a state subject,” the minister said in reply to a question by Congress MPs K.C. Venugopal and Kirsan Namdeo.

As Speaker Om Birla cited rules to disallow leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi from speaking after the Prime Minister's statement, the Opposition benches protested, forcing the House to be adjourned for the day. "According to the democratic structure, the leader of the Opposition should get an opportunity to speak, but they won’t let us. This is new India," Rahul told reporters outside the House.

He added: "Our only complaint is that the Prime Minister did not pay tribute to those who died at the Kumbh."

The Opposition was taken by surprise when Modi rose to speak in Parliament in the post-noon session since it was not listed in the business of the day. Modi, who has frequently hailed the arrangements at the Kumbh, used the floor of Parliament to promote the religious event.

The Prime Minister made no reference to the stampede deaths at the Kumbh on January 29 and at the New Delhi railway station on February 15, both blamed by the Opposition on mismanagement. The official January 29 death toll issued by the Uttar Pradesh government was 30, but it is widely believed the actual figure is much higher. The February 15 stampede at the railway station involving Kumbh devotees looking to catch an Allahabad-bound train claimed at least 18 lives.

"We have witnessed the awakening of our national consciousness on a magnificent scale at the grand Mahakumbh…. Last year, during the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, we all experienced how the nation is preparing itself for the next 1,000 years. Just a year later, the successful organisation of the Mahakumbh has further reinforced this belief," Modi told the Lok Sabha.

"Our freedom struggle was marked by several such turning points — the Revolt of 1857, the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's clarion call of ‘Delhi Chalo’ and Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March. These events inspired the nation and paved the way for Independence. I see the Prayagraj Mahakumbh as another such defining moment, where we can see the reflection of an awakened nation," he said.

Modi termed the event a "grand success" and said it had silenced doubts and fears raised by "certain critics about India's capabilities".