New Delhi: Delhi’s main minister Rekha Gupta And his ministers on Thursday began to focus on “Maa Yamuna”. The prime minister attended a great “Yamuna Aarti” in Vasudev Ghat before presiding over his first cabinet meeting that announced the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, one of the key promises made by BJP to the people of Delhi during the elections.
That “Yamuna Clean Project” was important for the BJP was evident due to the fact that the process to start cleaning the river had begun even before the government was formed. “We want to make Maa Yamuna clean and flow free. This marks the beginning of the BJP commitment,” said the Chief of the Delhi unit of the party, Virendra Sachdeva, emphasizing the dedication of the government.
Yamuna pollution It has been one of the key electoral problems in Delhi for a long time. When Arvind Kejriwal became the prime minister in 2015 with a massive mandate, he promised to clean the Yamuna in 5 years. Ironically, ten years in power, he did little and in 2025 the people of Delhi resorted to the BJP, who promised a series of measures in his manifesto to restore the lost glory of the Yamuna River.
- We will collaborate with the central government to develop the Yamuna River front in the lines of the Sabarmati River, ensuring the commercial establishments of 24×7, interactive shows, theaters and other entertainment facilities along the banks of the river.
- We will establish a Yamuna Kosh to revitalize the Yamuna River, which has been neglected by AAP-DA during the last 10 years
- We will promote biodiversity along the banks of Yamuna creating green runners, wetlands and damping areas on the river edge
- We will ensure zero industrial emissions in Yamuna
- We will organize an annual Yamuna Festival
A month ago, when the campaign for the assembly elections was in its peak, Kejriwal, who did not fulfill his promise to clean the Yamuna, added a completely new dimension to Yamuna’s policy. The Chief of the AAP accused the Haryana government led by BJP to poison Yamuna’s water that reaches Delhi.
“The Haryana Government of BJP has poisoned the water in Yamuna. If this water had entered Delhi only to mix with drinking water, many people would have died in Delhi. It would have caused massive genocide,” then the former main minister of Delhi had alleged.
“Some countries use biological weapons to poison the river water. Tell BJP not to run out so low,” he added.
Clearly, this was an extreme that led everyone, even to the people of Delhi, by surprise. The leader of the BJP and former Prime Minister of Haryana, Manhar Lal Khattar, said that Kejriwal’s positioned declaration cost him very dear to the elections. “If he had not made such a statement, his party would have won 5-7 more seats,” Khattar said, added “more than 40 percent of Delhi’s residents are from Haryana. This statement insulted people from Haryana and Delhi.”
Well, it would be difficult to quantify the scope of the loss caused by the poison attack, one thing is sure that the people of Delhi did not buy the theory as the results showed.
Interestingly, Arvind Kejriwal had also made Yamuna Aarti in Gita Ghat in November 2015 after becoming the prime minister to mark the beginning of his promise to clean the river. However, 10 years after Yamuna’s pollution was one of the key factors that led to his defeat. The BJP realizes the importance of Yamuna in capital policy and that may explain why Rekha Gupta did not want to miss the opportunity to send a strong message to the people of Delhi on day 1.
