NEW DELHI: Both the BJP and Aam Admi Party (AAP) traded barbs on Thursday over the Yamuna’s cleanliness ahead of the Chhath festival. BJP hailed the river’s revival under Rekha Gupta government, while AAP accused the ruling dispensation of staging a “fake clean-up” by diverting canal water from Uttar Pradesh into the river.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva claimed that the previous AAP government had turned the Yamuna into a “dirty drain” and that it was only under the current administration that the river’s condition had “visibly improved.”
He recalled that when he took a dip in the Yamuna at the ITO ghat last year to expose its pollution, he had to be hospitalised. “Now, under the Rekha Gupta government, the Yamuna has been cleaned so much in just eight months that our spokesperson Dr Anil Gupta performed aachman (ritual sipping) of its water before journalists,” Sachdeva said.
According to Sachdeva, Delhi BJP spokesperson and environmental expert Dr. Anil Gupta performed aachman at Kalindi Kunj and ITO ghats on Wednesday to demonstrate the improved water quality.
“The Yamuna water now has no foul smell, its oxygen level ranges between 4.5 and 5.5, and the pH is 7.5 — close to normal,” he said, citing online monitoring data.
Taking a dig at the previous AAP administration, Sachdeva alleged that the Kejriwal government “committed corruption in the name of Yamuna Maiya and Chhath Maiya.”
He added that the current government had fulfilled a long-standing demand by lifting restrictions on worship at the Yamuna banks. “It was our effort last year before Chhath Puja — when we exposed the filthy Yamuna and Kejriwal’s inaction — that led to our government being formed,” he said. Countering the BJP’s claims, AAP Delhi State chief Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the BJP of creating a “false show of cleanliness” by diverting canal water from Uttar Pradesh into the Yamuna.
“To make the river appear clean before Chhath, the BJP governments in Delhi and Haryana have stopped the UP canal’s water flow. Haryana diverted all water meant for UP’s farmers from Hathnikund Barrage into the Yamuna,” Bharadwaj alleged. Sharing a video on Thursday, he claimed the Eastern Canal originating from Hathnikund was lying completely dry. “This is BJP’s entire conspiracy — to give the illusion of clean water for three or four days. They will then spray defoaming agents to hide the froth,” he said.
Bharadwaj further accused the BJP of deceiving the Purvanchali community for years. “Before every Chhath, they release additional water into Yamuna to dilute pollution and seek votes. This time, they’ve gone a step further — robbing UP’s farmers of irrigation water for propaganda,” he said.
