New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) set up a stage at the Yamuna's Chhath Ghat on Thursday, featuring two chairs for Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and her predecessor, Arvind Kejriwal, as a reminder of the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) promise to clean the river. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva took a dip in the polluted waters, seeking forgiveness for what he termed the "corruption" of the Delhi government, which he accused of misappropriating funds meant for cleaning the river.
मां यमुना जीवनदायिनी हैं । भारत की सबसे पवित्र नदियों में से एक हैं। परन्तु आज दिल्ली का कोई भी व्यक्ति यमुना के घाट पर पूजा नहीं कर सकता । छठ पर्व आ रहा है । हमारी माँ-बहनें पूजा कहां करेंगी ?
आज मैंने माँ यमुना जी के घाट पर डुबकी लगा कर एक दिल्ली वासी के तौर पर माँ यमुना से… pic.twitter.com/GasvllO0Vh
On Wednesday, Sachdeva had challenged Kejriwal to join him in the river, highlighting the promise made to the people of Delhi to clean it before Chhath Puja 2025. The political rivalry has intensified as both parties blame each other for the heavy pollution and toxic froth plaguing the Yamuna, particularly ahead of the Purvanchali festival of Chhath, celebrated days after Diwali.
At the Chhath Ghar near ITO, BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor stated, “We have set up two chairs and a red carpet to welcome Kejriwal and Atishi to inspect the condition of the Yamuna.” Sachdeva criticised the AAP government for allegedly failing to clean the river despite the allocation of Rs 8,500 crore for its restoration. The AAP has countered these claims by blaming BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for discharging untreated industrial wastewater into the Yamuna.
