BJP trains guns at AAP on water crisis, Yamuna pollution

Delhi BJP leader and New Delhi Member of Parliament (MP) Bansuri Swaraj criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) following "public discontent" directed at former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal during a recent protest.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Swaraj claimed that the "backlash reflected significant anti-incumbency sentiment against Kejriwal and his 58 MLAs".

“The public anger we’re witnessing is a direct result of the AAP’s incompetence and failure to address pressing issues,” Swaraj stated. She emphasised that the recent protest was fuelled by frustrations over water black marketing in Vikas Puri, allegedly under the watch of local MLA Mahendra Yadav. “Half the city's population is still forced to buy water on the black market,” she alleged, pointing to the ongoing water crisis despite it being October.

Swaraj criticised Kejriwal’s governance over the past decade, claiming it had been marred by corruption and mismanagement. “These representatives disappeared after winning elections and now, as elections approach, they reappear engaging in theatrics,” she said, underscoring that the public had seen through such tactics.

She also mentioned that the BJP planned to establish a Yamuna Cleanliness Tribunal if it came to power, highlighting the urgent need for action on the river's pollution. “Kejriwal has politicised the issue for years without taking meaningful action,” Swaraj asserted.

Praveen Shankar Kapoor, Delhi BJP media head, moderated the press conference and echoed these sentiments. “The AAP government is on its way out,” he declared, criticising their management of the Yamuna and public services. Kapoor remarked that AAP’s strategy of playing the victim card is outdated, adding, “The issue of the Yamuna cleanliness scam is now a widely discussed topic.”

He noted that after BJP Delhi President Virendra Sachdeva took a dip in the Yamuna to highlight pollution, AAP leaders appeared rattled, dismissing the act as mere drama. “This has become a key moment for political change in Delhi,” Kapoor stated.

Kapoor warned that the public would not forget the water-related corruption scandals involving AAP leaders, including Mahendra Yadav and others. “After 10 years of AAP governance, the condition of the Yamuna is deplorable, and consistent efforts are required to clean it,” he asserted, promising the BJP would prioritise the issue if elected.