BJP vs AAP ahead of Chhath Puja: Parties spar over spraying of chemical in Yamuna - WATCH!

New Delhi: A political row has erupted between the BJP and AAP over the cleaning of Yamuna Ghats and removal of toxic froth from the Yamuna river in Delhi. West Delhi MP and BJP leader Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma on Friday visited a Yamuna bank in Delhi. A video of the BJP leader is going viral on social media. In the video, he can be seen scolding the Delhi govt officials for using antifoaming chemicals in the holy water of Yamuna before Chhath Puja. BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Thursday accused the Delhi government of spraying a "very poisonous chemical" to remove froth in the Yamuna ahead of Chhath Puja, during which devotees take a holy dip in the river. 

Reacting to the allegations, AAP MLA and Delhi Jal Board Vice Chairman Saurabh Bhardwaj tweeted, "Delhi government is preparing for Chhath Puja and BJP leaders are stopping work, misbehaving. BJP wants Purvanchali brothers to suffer and festival should be bad."

Also Read: Chhath Puja stuck due to AAP, BJP slugfest, alleges Delhi Chhath Puja Samiti

Bhardwaj took a swipe at the BJP government over its allegations into Delhi Jal Board`s (DJB) Yamuna cleaning exercise and said that the "BJP leaders should learn something about science and technology. DJB`s anti-foaming chemical technology has also been recommended by the Central Government`s NMCG."

दिल्ली सरकार छठ पूजा की तैयारी कर रही है और भाजपा के नेता काम रोक रहे हैं , बदतमीज़ी कर रहे हैं। भाजपा चाहती है पूर्वांचली भाइयों को परेशानी हो और त्योहार ख़राब हो । pic.twitter.com/JVrEtMIdsz

— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) October 28, 2022

Earlier on Thursday, Addressing a press conference, Manoj Tiwari said the government is trying to hide its failure to clean the Yamuna by spraying a toxic chemical in the river.

"We visited the Kalindi Kunj area to take stock of the pollution situation of the Yamuna there. We were surprised to find that a very poisonous chemical was being sprayed to hide the froth. The people who were spraying it fled immediately after seeing us. We have lodged a complaint," the Northeast Delhi MP claimed.

#WATCH | A team of Delhi Jal Board sprays chemical into Yamuna to dissolve the toxic foam seen on the surface of the river. Visuals from Kalindi Kunj. pic.twitter.com/0y18sFw4Nf — ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2022

He said the government "has stooped so low that it is trying to hide the ammonia phosphorus foam by pouring chemicals into mother Yamuna".

In a statement, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that Kejriwal always remembers cleaning the Yamuna during Hindu festivals, especially Chhath Puja. As Chhath Puja ends, he gets busy with other work and this cycle continues, Bidhuri said.

"Kejriwal has been doing this for the last eight years and people understand it now. Because Kejriwal, who talks about taking a dip every time, has not taken any concrete steps to clean the Yamuna and it is evident as a white sheet of ammonia phosphorus foam is floating atop mother Yamuna," he said.

West Delhi MP Verma challenged Kejriwal to take a dip in the Yamuna river. "He (Kejriwal) says he has cleaned the Yamuna and will take a dip in it. I call upon him to take a dip in the river two days from now," he said.

(With agency inputs)