Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva took a dip in the heavily polluted Yamuna River on Thursday, lashing out at the former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for failing to deliver on his promise to clean the river by 2025. After the dip, Sachdeva developed skin rashes and experienced mild breathing issues, according to a BJP statement. He was examined by doctors at RML Hospital and given medication for three days.
A video posted by news agency ANI on X shows Sachdeva dipping in the polluted water of the Yamuna River. As soon as he came out of the water, the BJP workers began shouting the slogan "Bharat Mata Ki jai" and "BJP Zindabad".
In response, AAP leader and Environment Minister Gopal Rai labelled the BJP's political "drama" to rising pollution levels. "The BJP governments in UP and Haryana are responsible for pollution in the Yamuna by discharging untreated industrial waste water in the river," he claimed, news agency PTI reported.
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BJP Chief Demands An Account Of Rs 8,500 Crores Allotted By Central Govt To Clean Yamuna
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva took a dip in the river and "sought forgiveness" for what he described as the Delhi government's corruption, alleging that funds meant for cleaning the Yamuna had been misused. He also vowed to establish a Yamuna Cleaning Authority if the BJP wins the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
He challenged Kejriwal on Wednesday to join him for a dip in the river, reminding the public of the chief minister's promise to clean the Yamuna before Chhath Puja 2025.
"We have arranged a red carpet as people who used to live in Sheesh Mahal, they get habituated to the red carpet as they are 'Shahi' people. We have arranged two chairs as this tradition was started by Atishi herself, so if she comes, she will need two chairs. If Arvind Kejriwal will come, we will be happy. Although he is on bail, he was the CM. They should give an account of Rs 8,500 crores that was given by the central govt to clean Yamuna... We will wait for some more time if they come," ANI quoted Sachdeva as saying.
As the Purvanchali festival of Chhath approaches, which is celebrated days after Diwali, both AAP and the BJP have been at odds over the river's pollution.
The BJP even set up a stage at a Chhath Ghat, laying out a red carpet for Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, but they did not appear at the scheduled time. "We waited for them but they did not come at the scheduled time of 10 AM. The Delhi BJP president after waiting for half an hour took a dip in the river to highlight its plight," Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor told PTI.