NEW DELHI: A day after BJP leaders visited Yamuna ghats to look into Chhath preparations, a new controversy surfaced on Friday after BJP MP Parvesh Singh Sahib Verma slammed a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official for spraying defoamer chemicals in Yamuna River at Kalindi Kunj ghat. Verma said to the officer, “Yeh chemical tere sar pe daal doon? (Should I pour this chemical on your head?)” He added, “You are killing people here. In eight years you could not clean it. Take a dip in the river now.”
In reply, the official said that the chemical is US FDA-approved and is also cleared by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for the use. Attacking CM Arvind Kejriwal, Verma said, “Kejriwal is sending his officers to spray toxic chemicals in Yamuna ahead of Chhath Puja. Who will be held responsible if any untoward incident happens by worshipping in this poisonous water?”
The accusation came after Singh and saffron party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga visited Kalindi Kunj ghat of Yamuna to show the river’s polluted water. The DJB officials were spraying defoamer chemical in the river ahead of Chhath Puja at the time of saffron party leaders’ visit. Reacting to these allegations, AAP national spokesperson and DJB chief Saurabh Bhardwaj said,
“The government is preparing for Chhath Puja and BJP leaders are stopping work and misbehaving with officials. BJP wants Purvanchali brothers to suffer and festival to get spoiled.” Bharadwaj, who is also DJB vice chairman, also posted a purported video of the incident which showed the BJP MP pointing to a set of barrels and yelling at the official for spraying a “poisonous” chemical.
The AA P and the BJP have been targeting each other over the issue of Chhath Puja and pollution in the city river. The AAP has been accusing BJP of doing politics over the issue, while the saffron party has been cornering it over pollution in Yamuna ahead of Chhath festival. Chhath Puja, which involves the offering of ‘arghya’ to the Sun god by fasting women in knee-deep water, will be celebrated on October 30 and 31. The festival is hugely popular among Purvanchalis — people belonging to Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh — living in the national capital.