Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has denied allegations of a “VVIP culture” being promoted at the Mahakumbh to the detriment of common devotees, seeking to turn the tables on his political opponents by accusing them of enjoying the fruits of power for generations and spreading rumours about the event of which he has positioned himself as the host.

“Everybody is welcomed at the Mahakumbh. There is no discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, region or language. The entire country is congregating here and 45 crore people have taken the holy dip in 29 days. Those who are spreading negativity have been enjoying VVIP treatment themselves all their lives. They avail themselves of VVIP facilities and try to secure the same for their next generations,” the chief minister and BJP leader said in Lucknow on Tuesday at a programme organised on the occasion of the 57th death anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, a Rightist thinker.

“These people create negativity to tarnish the image of Bharat and Sanatan Dharma,” Adityanath alleged.

The refrain among common devotees has been that the state’s BJP government has been making special arrangements for VVIPs at the Mahakumbh, providing them dedicated and sanitised routes to the Sangam and facilitating a seamless bath away from the crowds of devotees. Many devotees have complained that they have been left on their own, treated with disdain and made to take long and arduous walks for the holy dip. They have alleged that the administration often blocks roads and pontoon bridges to facilitate smooth movement of VVIPs.

The devotees also allege that some roads and areas have been permanently reserved for VVIP vehicles while common people are having to walk up to 30km to even reach the Mela. They have said they have not been allowed to go to the Sangam and forced to take the holy dip at spots along the river that are closest to their camps. Many devotees have said they came to the Kumbh only because of the religious significance of the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.

The Opposition has echoed these allegations.

A large number of devotees died in a stampede at the Mahakumbh on Mauni Amavasya on January 29 when some pontoon bridges were allegedly closed and police wielded batons on devotees trying to make their way to the Sangam. Devotees and eyewitnesses had alleged that the barriers had been put up to provide quick passage to VVIPs, including some government-friendly sadhus.

“The government gives the daily footfall figures but doesn’t provide the actual toll in the stampede,” Samajwadi Party president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said on Sunday.

After denying any deaths in the stampede for at least 15 hours after the January 29 tragedy, the government had officially put the toll at 30. The figure was not revised although several people were said to have died during treatment. Eyewitnesses and the Opposition have claimed the actual toll is much higher.

Devotees say not a single day has passed since the Kumbh started on January 14 that one or the other VVIP has not visited the Sangam for the holy dip. On Tuesday, industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his family took the holy dip.

President Droupadi Murmu took the holy dip at the “VVIP Ghat” at the Sangam on Monday amid tight security. The President was in the Mela area for about three hours and also offered prayers at the Hanuman Mandir and an old fig tree known as Akhsyavat.

Most routes to the Sangam were blocked by over 400 policemen to ensure smooth movement of the President.

Among the celebrities who have taken the holy dip at the Sangam are industrialists Gautam Adani and Anil Ambani, actors Rajkummar Rao and his wife Patralekhaa, Vidyut Jammwal, Pankaj Tripathi, Shilpa Shetty, Neena Gupta, Sanjay Mishra, Vijay Deverakonda, Anupam Kher, Milind Soman and Adah Sharma, singers Shankar Mahadevan and Guru Randhawa, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and his girlfriend, the actress Dakota Johnson, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’s wife Laurene Powell, filmmakers Madhur Bhandarkarand Kabir Khan andchoreographer-filmmaker Remo D’Souza.

Many of them have been seen in pictures taking the holy dip with few people around them, which contrasts with images of seas of devotees congregating for the bath.

There is no suggestion that all celebrity devotees received “VVIP treatment” at the Kumbh.

“The crowds are increasing again in the Mela area for the bath on Magh Purnima on Wednesday. There are at least four crore people here and the situation is like Mauni Amavasya. VVIPs had been advised not to come here during this time but they are here,” said an officer posted at the Mahakumbh who didn’t want to be named.