NEW DELHI: Hours after taking the oath as Delhi’s Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, along with her ministers, visited Vasudev Ghat on Thursday evening to offer prayers at the Yamuna River.
The newly sworn-in leaders participated in a traditional “aarti,” symbolising their commitment to environmental rejuvenation and cultural heritage. Rekha Gupta is the second woman chief minister belonging to the BJP in Delhi and the fourth woman chief minister in the national capital.
The symbolic visit, apart from marking BJP’s return to power in the capital after 27 years, also served as a reaffirmation of the party’s commitment to cleaning the Yamuna—a promise left unfulfilled by former CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal. Gupta, along with ministers Parvesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh, conducted the religious ceremony before heading to their first cabinet meeting. Speaking at the Delhi Secretariat before assuming charge, Gupta emphasised her government’s commitment to delivering on all promises.
“We will fulfill all the promises we have made. At 5 PM, we will go to Yamuna Ghat for aarti. The cabinet meeting will be held at 7 PM,” she said. The BJP had made a clean Yamuna a key promise in its election campaign, pledging to restore the river within three years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reinforced this commitment during the party’s victory celebrations, declaring that Yamuna would become “the identity of Delhi.”
“I have pledged during the election campaign that we will make Yamuna the identity of Delhi. I know this is not very difficult. No matter how much time is taken, no matter how much energy is used, if the resolve is strong, then the blessings of Yamuna will remain with us,” Modi had said in his victory speech.
As part of its “Viksit Bharat Sankalp Patra” manifesto, the BJP has proposed establishing a “Yamuna Kosh” for the river’s revitalization and riverfront development. Meanwhile, a four-fold plan for the clear-up announced by the L-G’s office involves the removal of trash and silt from the river and drains.