AAP Accuses BJP of Creating ‘Artificial Yamuna’ for Chhath Puja Ahead of PM Modi Visit; BJP Calls It Political Drama
PakkaHyderabadi 
AAP accuses BJP of using filtered water to create an artificial Yamuna for PM Modi’s Chhath visit.
The political battle over Chhath Puja arrangements in Delhi intensified on Sunday as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the BJP-led Delhi government of creating a fake Yamuna river at Vasudev Ghat using “filtered water” ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the festival. The BJP rejected the allegations, calling them a pre-planned political stunt.
AAP: “Filtered water Yamuna built for PM Modi publicity”
Speaking at a press conference, AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that the BJP government had constructed an artificial stretch of Yamuna by diverting filtered water from the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant into a small canal at Vasudev Ghat.
“BJP is staging another drama. They have created a fake Yamuna with filtered water for PM Modi to take a dip and mislead people of Delhi, Bihar and Purvanchal,” Bhardwaj alleged.
AAP said the BJP was trying to give the impression of a clean Yamuna, while the actual Yamuna remains polluted with high faecal contamination levels at other ghats. AAP released a video showing the supposed pipeline through which filtered water is being pumped at Vasudev Ghat.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal posted on X that the BJP had “mocked the religious sentiments” of Purvanchali devotees. Atishi, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, called it “discrimination against other ghats where polluted water is being used.”
BJP hits back: “AAP banned Chhath on Yamuna for 6 years”
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva dismissed AAP’s allegations, accusing it of hypocrisy and drama politics.
“This is the first time in Indian politics that an opposition leader is opposing cleanliness. AAP banned Chhath Puja at Yamuna ghats between 2018 and 2024. Today they are pretending to care,” Sachdeva said.
He also claimed that the BJP government cleaned the Yamuna in just 8 months and made natural ghats usable again. Sachdeva asked:
- “On what basis did AAP ban Chhath Puja on Yamuna banks for six years?”
- “Why is AAP objecting to clean and safe ghats now?”
The BJP also denied using chemical defoamers to show cleaner water, claiming the allegations were “politically motivated lies.”
Chhath politics and Purvanchali vote bank
The controversy is unfolding amid an aggressive campaign from both AAP and BJP to attract Purvanchali voters, who make up nearly 40 lakh residents in Delhi and hold significant electoral influence.
Each year, Yamuna pollution becomes a flashpoint before Chhath Puja, but this year’s “artificial Yamuna” row has escalated tensions between the two rivals.
