Delhi CM Rekha Gupta's Day 1: ‘Yamuna aarti’ sets tone for BJP's core poll promise

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta's Day 1: ‘Yamuna aarti’ sets tone for BJP's core poll promise

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta's Day 1: ‘Yamuna aarti’ sets tone for BJP's core poll promise ByHT News Desk Feb 20, 2025 08:42 PM IST Share Via Copy Link Ram bhajans were played at the ghat, and slogans of "Jai Shree Ram" and "Yamuna Maiya Ki Jai" were raised.

Delhi's newly sworn-in chief minister Rekha Gupta along with her cabinet colleagues, set the ball rolling by performing ‘Yamuna aarti’ at Vasudev Ghat on Thursday, marking their first official engagement after taking charge in the Capital.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, along with her cabinet colleagues, participate in Yamuna Aarti at Vasudev Ghat in New Delhi on Thursday, February 20, 2025.(Arvinnd Yadav/ Hindustan Times)

The BJP had promised to prioritise cleaning the Yamuna river, a major issue between the party and the AAP, as part of its poll promises.

CM Rekha Gupta, along with Delhi BJP state president Virendra Sachdeva and her cabinet colleagues — Parvesh Sahib Singh, Asish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra and Pankaj Kumar Singh — performed 'Maa Yamuna puja' before conducting aarti ahead of the first cabinet meeting.

Ram bhajans were played at the ghat, and slogans of "Jai Shree Ram" and "Yamuna Maiya Ki Jai" were raised, according to PTI.

“Today, during the aarti of Maa Yamuna, we remembered our resolution to clean the river,” Rekha Gupta told reporters. "We will use the needed resources, and it will be our priority..."

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Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that the BJP government in the capital would ensure that Yamuna is clean.

"We have made a promise regarding Yamuna... Maa Yamuna has blessed us. BJP's Delhi government will work to ensure that Yamuna is clean..." Sachdeva was quoted as saying by ANI.

Pollution in the Yamuna river and its cleaning had become a major issue between AAP and the BJP during the run-up to the Delhi assembly elections.

Earlier in the day, Gupta, the first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh, was administered oath as the chief minister by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena in a grand ceremony at the Ramlila Maidan. Her council of ministers was also sworn in.

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Six MLAs, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, who defeated former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Singh were also sworn in as ministers into Gupta’s Cabinet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP's top brass, including Union ministers Amit Shah, J P Nadda and Rajnath Singh, and the chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of several NDA-ruled states, attended the ceremony.

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Later, Gupta reached the Delhi Secretariat to take charge as the chief minister of Delhi. She was accompanied by party leaders, including state BJP in-charge Baijayant Panda and state president Virendra Sachdeva among others.