The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday blasted Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal over the condition of the Yamuna River, saying the AAP government in the city is serving poison. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva and member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari visited Yamuna Ghat in Kalindi Kunj to assess the pollution situation ahead of the Chhath puja.
“Arvind Kejriwal has actually killed Yamuna. This water is in such a situation that if somebody puts their hands in this, they will fall sick. During Chhath puja, what will happen to those who take a dip in this water? There should be a criminal case against Arvind Kejriwal”, the Delhi BJP chief said.
Sachdeva accused Kejriwal of harbouring an “anti-Purvanchal” mindset as he lamented the situation of the river that flows through the national capital. ‘Purvanchal’ comprises the region of Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh where the Chhath festival is largely celebrated.
“We inspected the Yamuna Ghat ahead of the Chhatt Puja, women take a dip in this water and Arvind Kejriwal and his party have made this water poisonous. This is a big crime, we will convey this to higher authorities and will request the Supreme Court also to take cognisance of this ahead of the Chhath puja,” Tiwari said.
The Yamuna enters Delhi near Palla and travels about 48km through the city. The 22km stretch between Wazirabad to Okhla is the most polluted where 2% of the overall river length contributes to 70% of total pollution in the river, as the erstwhile Yamuna Monitoring Committee has repeatedly highlighted in its reports.
Kejriwal has often asserted that cleaning Yamuna is one of the top priorities of his government. In November 2021, the chief minister announced a six-point action plan to clean the Yamuna by February 2025 by improving the city’s sewage treatment capacity and network, cleaning major drains, de-silting storm water drains and taking action against industries releasing untreated waste, among other measures.
The BJP is expected to intensify its attack on the Kejriwal government as the 4-day festival of Chhath, one of the major festivals of India and the biggest of Purvanchal, approaches.
