Amid the Chhath Puja festivities, a political storm has erupted over the Yamuna river. The AAP has accused the BJP of creating a fake ghat with filtered water for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This allegation has sparked a heated exchange between the two parties, with devotees caught in the middle.
AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj addressed a press conference to voice his concerns. He claimed the BJP is fooling devotees and playing with the lives of Purvanchalis. In his view, this is a desperate bid to seize power in Bihar while ignoring local devotees’ plight.
Bharadwaj detailed how a special ghat was prepared at Vasudev Ghat. He alleged it was filled with filtered water from the Wazirabad treatment plant pipeline. This water normally supplies Delhi’s drinking needs, making the setup particularly controversial.
The contrast is stark. While the Prime Minister gets clean water, devotees stand in the polluted river. This disparity has become the central point of the AAP’s criticism. They argue it shows the BJP’s priorities are misplaced.
Bharadwaj didn’t stop there. He accused Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma of hypocrisy. The minister is now spraying chemicals to clear Yamuna foam, something he previously criticized the AAP for doing.
The BJP is telling a thousand lies to hide one, Bharadwaj charged. He believes their drama is designed to fool voters. The real issue, he insists, is that the Yamuna remains dangerously toxic.
Official data supports some concerns. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee admits the water can cause serious diseases. Yet, BJP leaders continue with photo-ops and chemical spraying to mask the foam.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva quickly dismissed these allegations. At his own press conference, he called the AAP’s stance a shameful model of political frustration. He defended the government’s actions as necessary improvements.
Sachdeva highlighted the cleaning of Vasudev Ghat. He expressed surprise that anyone would object to providing clean water and sanitation. In his view, this should be universally welcomed.
The BJP leader specifically criticized Bharadwaj’s live video from the riverbank. He called it the first-ever political drama where an opposition leader objects to cleanliness efforts. This, he argued, shows the AAP’s desperation.
Sachdeva also attacked the previous AAP government’s record. He claimed that from 2018 to 2024, former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal banned Chhath Puja on the Yamuna banks. This history makes current AAP complaints seem insincere.
Now, under Rekha Gupta’s government, basic Yamuna cleaning has been completed. Natural ghats are available for devotees after just eight months of work. The BJP sees this as progress worth celebrating.
The AAP remains unconvinced. They see the special ghat for Modi as symbolic of broader issues. It represents, to them, the gap between political shows and real solutions.
As Chhath Puja continues, this dispute highlights deeper political divisions. Both parties are using the Yamuna’s condition to score points. Devotees simply want a clean, safe place for their rituals.
The Yamuna’s pollution is a longstanding problem. Quick fixes like chemical spraying may hide foam temporarily. But they don’t address the root causes of the river’s contamination.
This controversy shows how environmental issues become political battlegrounds. The focus should be on lasting solutions for the Yamuna. Until then, debates over ghats will likely continue.