'Kejriwal should've stayed in Delhi for Chhath puja, instead he's touring Gujarat': BJP MP Manoj Tiwari

New Delhi: BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, on Sunday, criticised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the Chhath Puja preparations. Taking a dig at Kejriwal's Gujarat tour, he said to ANI, "As pollution rises, CM Kejriwal should've stayed in Delhi to prepare for Chhath Puja, instead he's touring Gujarat as he doesn't want to facilitate devotees here. If he isn't concerned about Delhi, he should go to Punjab & become CM there." Meanwhile, there is a war of words over pollution in the Yamuna river and preparations at ghats for the festival.

As pollution rises, CM Kejriwal should've stayed in Delhi to prepare for Chhath Puja, instead he's touring Gujarat as he doesn't want to facilitate devotees here. If he isn't concerned about Delhi,he should go to Punjab&become CM there: Manoj Tiwari, BJP MP from North-East Delhi pic.twitter.com/odfKRVyLFz — ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2022

 

BJP MP Parvesh Verma shared several videos on Twitter and said devotees were sad that water was not available at the temporary ponds created for them to celebrate the festival.

Also Read: Chhath Puja 2022: No offerings allowed to be immersed in Yamuna as per NGT

He also shared purported videos of the Yamuna carrying froth due to pollution since 2015 and said "those 5 years will never come", referring to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's promise to clean the river.

Senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh also shared a video of froth in the Yamuna river at the Mathura barrage in Uttar Pradesh, taking a dig at the BJP. This prompted Verma to hit back at Singh, saying the Yamuna flowed from Delhi towards UP and questioning the AAP MP's education.

Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar accompanied by many Chhath devotees staged a protest at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) office near ITO alleging lack of preparations at the ghats and restrictions on celebrating the festival at only designated places along the Yamuna.

Kumar also alleged Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot and AAP MLAs avoided meeting women devotees who had gone to the AAP office.

Some BJP leaders alleged that people at Najafgarh were prevented from celebrating Chhath by officials.

The LG had earlier written a letter to the chief minister asking him to take care of froth in the Yamuna due to pollution.

The festival will start with huge congregations of devotees at around 1,100 ghats prepared at designated places along the Yamuna as well as other water bodies and artificial ponds across the city on Sunday afternoon.

The revenue department is the nodal agency for Chhath Puja arrangements and all other government and civic agencies are working in close coordination to make the festival a success, officials had said earlier.

The department has made arrangements for tents, chairs, tables, lighting, sound system, CCTV, LED screens, power backup etc at all the 1,100 puja sites.

The department will also ensure other facilities such as primary health services, deployment of ambulances, and mobile toilet vans, the officials said.

(With agency inputs)