New Delhi: With Chhath Puja around the corner, political tensions have erupted in Delhi as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trade charges over preparations at the Yamuna ghats. The dispute intensified ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned participation in the festival at Vasudev Ghat in north Delhi on October 28.
The AAP has accused the BJP-led administration of setting up an “artificial Yamuna” by constructing a temporary pool filled with filtered water for the Prime Minister’s ceremonial dip. AAP leaders argued that while the Prime Minister would perform rituals in clean water, ordinary devotees were being forced to worship in the polluted stretches of the Yamuna.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal criticised the move, calling it a “mockery of the sacred festival” and an insult to the sentiments of Purvanchali devotees. AAP’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that the arrangement reflected hypocrisy, saying, “The Prime Minister will offer prayers in filtered water while our people wade through the filthy river.” Party leaders Atishi and Bharadwaj also released a video showing the poor state of several ghats, alleging high faecal contamination levels and serious health hazards.
The BJP, however, dismissed these allegations as “baseless political drama”, accusing AAP of trying to divert attention from its governance failures. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the party had ensured unprecedented arrangements for devotees, including clean ghats, adequate lighting, and safety measures. He also questioned AAP’s record on cleaning the Yamuna, asking where the Rs 6,500 crore allocated for river restoration had been spent.
Environmental reports add weight to the debate. A recent Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) study shows the Yamuna’s water remains unsafe for bathing across most locations except Palla, with high ammonia and biochemical oxygen demand levels indicating severe organic pollution.
Despite the elaborate preparations, the worsening condition of the Yamuna continues to dampen the festive spirit for thousands of devotees arriving from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and other regions. While the city gears up for celebrations, the issue has once again turned into a political battleground between the AAP and BJP.
