NEW DELHI: A day after the video of dead fish floating in Yamuna made rounds on social media, AAP and the BJP intensified attacks on eachother. Both the government and the opposition on Friday accused each other of politicising the issues.
The BJP ministers accused the AAP of dumping dead fish in the river to defame the government. The opposition party, however, rejected the allegations and questioned how such a large number of dead fish could be dumped into the river without the authorities noticing.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal and his associates of orchestrating the incident, claiming that the party is rattled by the government’s efforts to clean the Yamuna and the recent launch of a cruise service. In a post on X, Sirsa said, “No one could have imagined that politics could sink this low—What Mr Kejriwal and his associates have done... There can be no greater sin than this.”
Sirsa asserted that the alleged act was particularly reprehensible ahead of Chhath Puja, when devotees would visit riverbanks.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj rejected the allegations and accused Verma of attempting to deflect attention from the pollution of the Yamuna, pointing to Delhi Jal Board’s reported decision to curtail water supply in some areas due to contamination. “Parvesh Verma is making up more lies to cover up one. He should accept that thousands of fish have died in the Yamuna due to pollution,” Bharadwaj said.
The exact cause of the fish deaths remains unconfirmed, with locals alleging that effluents released into the river are responsible for the incident.
