New Delhi, Nov 13 Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav on Friday alleged that untreated water from the Najafgarh drain — carrying human and animal waste — was flowing into the Yamuna near Wazirabad, and accused the BJP government of failing to ensure clean water for devotees ahead of Chhath puja.
Yadav made the remarks during a visit to Soorghat, near north Delhi’s Wazirabad, and northeast Delhi’s Sonia Vihar, along with a Delhi Congress delegation.
The visit was intended to highlight what the party described as inadequate arrangements in view of Chhath puja.
Speaking to mediapersons near the Najafgarh drain, Yadav claimed the government is asking people to take a ‘holy’ dip in a polluted Yamuna, putting their health at risk and hurting religious sentiments.
“Forget about a dip, just try touching this water once,” Yadav said, as he showed reporters a bottle of water apparently drawn from the river.
The Delhi Congress chief challenged BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, who had recently taken a dip at Sonia Vihar, to visit the spot and touch the water.
The Congress delegation’s visit to the Yamuna came a day after a video surfaced on social media showing a large number of dead fish floating in the river near northeast Delhi’s Sonia Vihar, stoking concerns regarding pollution.
While the ruling BJP has accused the AAP of dumping dead fish in the river to defame the government and its efforts to clean the Yamuna, the opposition party has dismissed the allegation as a “false narrative”, demanding investigation into the alleged fish deaths.
(PTI News)
