Delhi BJP leader 'drinks' Yamuna water, party hails CM's efforts to clean river

New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said on Thursday that due to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s eight-month-long efforts, the Yamuna’s water is now fit for taking a dip and pure enough for ‘aachman’ (ritual drinking), as done by one of his party colleagues.

Referring to the drastic improvement in the water quality of the polluted river in the first eight months of CM Gupta’s government, Sachdeva said that as a result of the Delhi government’s determined and sincere efforts for cleaning the Yamuna Delhi BJP spokesperson and environmental expert Anil Gupta performed aachman (drank the holy water) of Yamuna at Kalindi Kunj and ITO ghats in front of journalists.

He added that Anil Gupta not only performed aachman of Yamuna water live on TV but also presented online monitoring data proving that as a result of eight months of cleaning efforts by the Rekha Gupta government, the Yamuna water has no foul smell, its oxygen level ranges between 4.5 and 5.5, and its pH is 7.5 — close to normal.

He said that on October 25, 2024, 10 days before Chhath Puja, he had taken a dip in the Yamuna at the ITO ghat in Delhi to expose the river’s plight before the world.

“The world witnessed that the Yamuna had become like a filthy drain, and that dip had landed me in hospital,” he said in a statement.

He said his dip at ITO last year also exposed the loot allegedly committed by the Aam Aadmi Party government and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the name of cleaning the Yamuna.

The Delhi BJP President said that whether it was the Yamuna Maiya or Chhath Maiya, the Arvind Kejriwal government committed corruption in their names, and today, it is because of that corruption that their AAP party is no longer in power.

The development related to the improvement in the river’s water quality comes close to an announcement by Delhi Art, Culture, and Language Minister Kapil Mishra that Chhath Puja will be celebrated at more than 1,000 locations across Delhi.

Earlier in the week, Mishra held a meeting with the Purvanchal Morcha and reviewed preparations for ‘Chhath Puja 2025’.

He told Purvanchal Morcha President Santosh Ojha and other members of the Morcha that this year, Chhath Puja will be the most extensive celebration ever witnessed in the city.

--IANS

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