BJP Claims Yamuna River Half Cleaned Amid AAP Dispute
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari claims 30 kilometers of the Yamuna river are clean, prompting an Aam Aadmi Party challenge to drink water from polluted ghats.
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Manoj Tiwari announced on October 29, 2026, that the government has cleaned approximately 30 kilometers—more than half—of the Yamuna river stretch in Delhi over the last 1.5 years. During a visit to the river, Tiwari took a dip in the water and claimed that pollution levels have decreased by half, making the river suitable for upcoming Chhath Puja celebrations. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and Minister Parvesh Verma for the progress, noting that the presence of birds indicates improved cleanliness.
Tiwari stated that the government intends to begin dredging to improve navigability and urged citizens to build permanent ghats and ponds for water conservation. While acknowledging criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Tiwari maintained that the focus is on environmental restoration rather than political embarrassment.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bhardwaj dismissed Tiwari's actions as "theatrics" and an "eyewash," arguing that the BJP is misleading the public ahead of the Assembly elections. Bhardwaj alleged that Tiwari used a historically cleaner stretch of the river and challenged both Tiwari and Minister Parvesh Verma to drink water from the Kalindi Kunj ghat, which he described as infamously polluted, to prove their claims.
