"Who Talked About Yamuna Dip?" Delhi Lt Governor's Barb At Arvind Kejriwal

Visuals of toxic foam floating in the Yamuna River have emerged as the latest flashpoint in the power tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.

With Delhi's air and water pollution levels spiking, Mr Saxena took to X this afternoon. "The importance of Delhi's lifeline Yamuna increases manifold during the Chhath festival. Yamuna's condition and the pain of Delhi's people are unwatchable," he said.

"Who is responsible for this condition? Who had made claims of cleaning up Yamuna and taking dips? Who got a court pause on work to revive the Yamuna that had started after a National Green Tribunal order?" added the Lieutenant Governor, a central appointee.

He was referring to AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's remark last year in which he said Yamuna would be cleaned before the 2025 Delhi election and he would take a dip into the river. The court pause that Mr Saxena referred to was a Supreme Court order on an NGT direction to appoint the Lieutenant as the head of a high-level panel to tackle the river's pollution. The AAP government had challenged the green tribunal's order.

आदि अनंत से दिल्ली की जीवन रेखा रही यमुना का महत्व महापर्व छठ के समय कहीं अधिक हो जाता है।
यमुना का यह हाल, दिल्ली की जनता का दर्द
देखा नहीं जाता।

ऐसी दुर्दशा का जिम्मेवार कौन है?
किसने यमुना की सफाई के दावे कर इसमे डुबकियाँ लगाने की घोषणा की थी?

किसने NGT के आदेश पर पिछले… pic.twitter.com/nvHBpQs0JD

— LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) October 21, 2024

Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi said it the BJP's "dirty politics" was behind the air and water pollution in Delhi.

"The pollution levels in Delhi are increasing. The people of Delhi want to know the reason behind this, and I tell them, the real reason is the dirty politics of the BJP. Everyone is aware that stubble burning is a major contributor to rising pollution levels in Delhi during winter. The AAP government in Punjab has significantly reduced stubble burning over the past two years. According to the Centre's statistics, incidents of stubble burning have been halved since the AAP took charge in Punjab. In contrast, if you look at Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, stubble burning has increased," she told the media.

"If the Punjab government can reduce stubble burning, why can't the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana do the same? In Delhi, we have only CNG and electric buses, whereas 100% of the interstate buses coming from UP and Haryana are diesel-powered. Why can't the governments of Haryana and UP introduce electric buses? It's because they want to play dirty politics with the people of Delhi. While Delhi has no brick kilns, there are 3,800 brick kilns in the NCR region, contributing significantly to pollution levels in the capital," the Chief Minister added.

On the water pollution in Yamuna, she said, "BJP leaders have been visiting Kalindi Kunj for photoshoots, but the real cause of the toxic foam in the Yamuna is industrial waste being dumped into the river by factories in Haryana. The UP government also contributes to the problem by releasing polluted water into the Yamuna."

Over the past several winters, Delhiites have gasped for breath as stubble burning in neighbouring states, among other causes, has pushed up air pollution in the capital. With election in the city due in February, air pollution has now emerged as a key talking point.

In power for 10 years, AAP is pushing hard for a third term. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, now out on bail after he was arrested in a corruption case linked to Delhi's now-scrapped liquor policy, stepped down as Chief Minister last month and said he would return to the top office only after the "people's court" elects him again. Senior party leader Atishi took over the job after Mr Kejriwal's exit.