India, Feb. 4 -- BJP MP Hema Malini has triggered a controversy by calling the recent stampede incident, which left at least 30 people dead, at the ongoing Maha Kumbh as 'not a very big incident'.

Speaking to the media, Hema Malini was quoted as saying: "We also visited the Maha Kumbh. The incident did happen. It wasn't that big."

"It has been exaggerated," she said.

Appreciating the Uttar Pradesh government, Malini, a yesteryear Bollywood actress, said CM Yogi Adityanath-led administration is managing the event well.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh must release the actual death toll in the stampede which took place at Hindu f...