New Delhi, Oct 29 BJP MP Manoj Tiwari took a dip in the Yamuna on Thursday, claiming that the pollution load of the river had reduced by half in the past year owing to cleaning works undertaken by the Rekha Gupta government.
The BJP leader further asserted that people can now celebrate Chhat puja in the Yamuna once again.
Just days ago, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched 43 projects worth Rs 8,941 crore aimed at cleaning the Yamuna, and pledged that the BJP government would ensure the stretch of the river in Delhi is cleaned by May 2029.
Tiwari, the BJP MP from the North East Delhi Lok Sabha seat, said presence of migratory birds at certain places on the river indicates an improvement in Yamuna’s condition. “These birds would not have come here if the river wasn’t clean,” he asserted.
Tiwari said he had tasted Yamuna water (“aachman”) at Sonia Vihar, praising the BJP government for its efforts to clean the river and accusing the AAP of failing in this regard.
“AAP used to put blame on Haryana for polluting the river. Since the BJP came to power, it has cleaned half of the river in one-and-a-half years,” Tiwari said, adding that remaining cleaning works would be completed in the next three years.
In a post on X, Delhi BJP claimed that work carried out by the BJP government in two years had achieved what the Congress and AAP could not in 27 years. They also challenged Kejriwal to take a dip in the river.
Responding to the development, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj wrote on X, ” These BJP frauds know nothing about Delhi. It is well known that 26 km stretch of Yamuna river from Palla to Wazirabad has always been comparatively clean. It was cleaner during AAP govt even as per DPCC reports.”
The Yamuna in Delhi gets more and more polluted as it ventures downstream, with a 22-km stretch between Wazirabad and Okhla said to be highly polluted, and the focal point of multiple policy efforts.
Bharadwaj said, “I invite Manoj Tiwari and Water Minister Parvesh Verma to drink water at Kalindi Kunj ghat (near Okhla barrage). Last year also they ran away from the challenge.”
During his visit to the Sonia Vihar ghat, Tiwari also sang a folk song and invited people celebrating Chhath Puja to come to the Yamuna and offer prayers.
The claims come amid ongoing efforts to clean the Yamuna, which flows for around 52 km through Delhi. Earlier, Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma had said, “It will take around two-and-a-half to three years for the Yamuna to be completely clean. We have never claimed that the Yamuna has been completely cleaned.”
The minister said the upper stream of the Yamuna in Delhi — between Palla and Wazirabad — had been completely cleaned, while cleaning works were underway between Wazirabad and Kalindi Kunj.
(PTI News)
