Kapil Mishra (left) Arvind Kejriwal (ANI)
NEW DLEHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday hit back at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over allegations of pollution in the Yamuna, asserting that it had “never claimed the river was clean or its water drinkable,” even as the opposition stepped up attacks ahead of Chhath Puja celebrations.Delhi minister Kapil Mishra, who inspected arrangements at a ghat near Crown Plaza, said the government was working to ensure smooth preparations for the festival. “I have come here to review the preparation of the Ghats, and there are a few arrangements that we need to make quickly in the next few hours,” he said. Responding to AAP’s criticism, Mishra added, “They must be blaming Arvind Kejriwal only, as for the past 11 years, it was their government only. If we compare the Yamuna from last year, there is a huge difference. For the last 7 years, people of Purvanchal have been prevented from celebrating Chhath at the Yamuna. Why were they prevented? Arvind Kejriwal should answer. We never claimed that the Yamuna is clean or that its water is drinkable… But Chhath puja can be done.”The BJP’s response came after AAP launched a sharp offensive over the Yamuna’s pollution levels. AAP’s Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj had challenged chief minister Rekha Gupta to drink the river’s water to prove her claim that it had been cleaned. “Yamuna Ji’s water contains sewage, and this has been confirmed by the Delhi pollution control committee (DPCC) report under the BJP government,” Bharadwaj said, alleging that “millions of people from the Purvanchal community will be victims of the lies and deceit of BJP leaders and CM Rekha Gupta,” he said.Bharadwaj accused the BJP of blocking the AAP government’s earlier plans to clean the river when it was in power and said, “If Rekha Gupta claims the river is clean, she should drink its water and show it.”AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha echoed the criticism, alleging that the BJP was “playing with the lives of Purvanchalis” for political mileage.In a post on X, Bharadwaj also cited a DPCC report dated October 23, claiming the Yamuna’s water was “not even suitable for bathing” and contained “human waste in alarming quantity.” He alleged that the Haryana government had diverted water from the Eastern Yamuna Canal for a week, which would worsen pollution levels once normal flow resumed.Later, AAP leaders visited the chief minister’s residence carrying bottles of Yamuna water, urging her to drink it to “prove her claims.” “CM Madam, drink the so-called clean water of Yamuna,” the party said in a post on X.
