NEW DELHI: BJP on Sunday criticised the Aam Aadmi Party, saying people are “shocked” that leaders like Arvind Kejriwal and Saurabh Bharadwaj continue to indulge in negative political commentary even after their severe electoral defeat earlier this year. The response came after AAP alleged that the “artificial Yamuna’’ created at Vasudev Ghat for Chhath Puja contained actual Yamuna water.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said Delhi’s water and air pollution problems are the result of nearly 15 years of negligence under the Congress and AAP governments. “All of Delhi knows that the 10-year Kejriwal government committed massive corruption in the name of Yamuna cleaning and did virtually no work to control air pollution. They disrupted public transport and neglected road maintenance, worsening pollution,” he said.
Sachdeva added that it was “unfortunate” AAP leaders had not changed their conduct even after losing the Assembly election. He said they were “shocked” by the excellent Chhath Puja arrangements made by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at the Yamuna banks and were now spreading “false propaganda” about a “fake Yamuna’’ at Vasudev Ghat.
He added that despite this misinformation campaign, AAP recently suffered a “crushing defeat’’ in the 12 MCD bypoll wards—including Greater Kailash, earlier represented by the Delhi AAP president himself. “Yet he continues to spread confusion regarding Vasudev Ghat,” he said.
Earlier, AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj invited Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to visit Vasudev Ghat with him “any day” to show the public the truth. Citing labourers working at the site, he said they confirmed the artificial pond was filled with filtered water from a Water Treatment Plant, not Yamuna water.
Bharadwaj said, “On any day you wish, I can accompany you to Vasudev Ghat and show the truth before the media. Please stop lying and stop this fraud.” He also shared a video of the Chief Minister claiming the pond water had seeped in from the Yamuna, along with a media report that he said disproved her claim.