New Delhi: BJP candidate from New Delhi Parvesh Verma immersed an effigy of former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the murky water of the Yamuna over his unfulfilled promise to clean the river so that people could take a dip in it.
Kejriwal’s failure to fulfill his promise of cleaning the Yamuna has become evident, Verma told reporters at the riverbank near ITO.
“Despite having 11 long years of power and spending Rs 8,000 crore, the AAP government failed to deliver on its promise of cleaning the Yamuna. This is the biggest betrayal with the people of Delhi,” he said.
In the video, Verma carried a life-size cut-out of Kejriwal, which depicted him holding his ears with a slogan that read, “Main fail ho gaya, mujhe vote mat dena, 2025 tak main Yamuna saaf nai kar paya” (“I am a failure; don’t vote for me; I failed to clean the Yamuna by 2025”).
Speaking to reporters, Verma criticised the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for not fulfilling its promise to clean the heavily polluted river. “We can clean all the water of Yamuna Maaiya (mother). Cleaning it is not rocket science. All the silt should be removed by machines, sewerage treatment plants should be built, and water treatment plants should be built. Just like our Prime Minister Modi built the Sabarmati Riverfront, the Yamuna Riverfront can be built in the same way. Eleven years is a very long time,” Verma said.
The BJP leader also submerged the cut-out of Kejriwal in the river multiple times as part of the demonstration.
Pollution in the Yamuna has been a long-standing issue, affecting millions of residents in the capital. The river remains heavily polluted despite repeated assurances from successive governments to address the problem.
The Delhi Assembly election, set for February 5 with results to be out on February 8, is emerging as a three-way contest.
With the AAP’s unfulfilled 2025 deadline for cleaning the Yamuna, opposition parties have sought to turn the issue into a key electoral battleground.
Yamuna pollution row
Earlier on Thursday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticised the Aam Aaadmi Party (AAP) during a BJP rally in Delhi. He accused AAP of hindering the city’s development over the past decade.
Adityanath also targeted AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that the Yamuna River had been turned into a “dirty drain” under his watch. Referring to it as a “sin,” he questioned Kejriwal’s commitment to cleaning the river. Adityanath recounted his visit to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh, where he and his ministers took a dip in the Sangam, and challenged Kejriwal to do the same in the Yamuna. “He should answer if he has the moral courage,” Adityanath said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav came to Kejriwal’s defence, responding to Adityanath’s remarks. Yadav asked whether the Uttar Pradesh chief minister would be willing to drink water from the Yamuna in Mathura.
Later, Congress candidate Alka Lamba, contesting the Delhi elections from the Kalkaji Assembly seat, accused both the BJP and AAP of politicising the Yamuna’s condition. Lamba said Congress, if given the opportunity, would focus on cleaning the river to demonstrate results.
