BJP leader and Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the pollution in the Yamuna river and said he cannot escape the “sin of disrespecting the faith of the people”.AAP leader Raghav Chadha hit back, accusing the Union minister of being “interested in making political statements” on the issue “rather than bothering to call a meeting between Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to understand the real problem and find a solution”.
“His (Shekhawat’s) statement reflects the tendency of the Narendra Modi government to hide their own failures and non-performance by making mere allegations,” Chadha said.
Pictures and videos showing devotees offering prayers in the Yamuna on the occasion of Chhath Puja on Monday with toxic foam floating on the surface of the river have triggered a political slugfest between the ruling AAP and the BJP in Delhi.While the BJP alleged the AAP government did not allow Chhath celebrations on the Yamuna banks to hide the “pathetic” state of the river, the AAP’s Gopal Rai and Raghav Chadha have blamed the governments in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana for the frothing in the river.
On Tuesday, Shekhawat said, “Both Kejriwal and the Delhi government are running away from their responsibility of cleaning the Yamuna river. It is unfortunate that rather than cleaning the river, they are asking women not to celebrate Chhath (on its banks). Kejriwal is disrespecting the voters of Delhi.” Responding to the AAP government’s allegation that polluted water flows into the Yamuna river from other states, the Union Jal Shakti minister said it was a misrepresentation of facts.
“Kejriwal should rise to the challenge and not indulge in futile blame-shifting.” “It is unfortunate and painful that at the time of the Chhath festival the Yamuna is polluted. Kejriwal cannot run escape from this sin of disrespecting the faith of the people,” he said. Referring to the financial aid given to the Delhi government under the ‘Namami Gange’ programme to tackle pollution in the Yamuna, Shekhawat said the assistance has gone towards 13 sewage treatment projects of about 1385 million litres per day capacity involving an investment of Rs 2,419 crore.Instead of working towards completing these projects, the Delhi government, unfortunately, has misplaced priorities, he claimed.In response to the criticism, Chadha said, “It is a fact that the Okhla barrage, which witnesses foaming in Yamuna river every year, is being maintained by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department. It is shocking that the Union Minister did not know this before deciding to blame the Delhi government for it.”
