New Delhi, October 29, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari’s dip in the Yamuna River on Thursday triggered a political row, with AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj dismissing the move as an eyewash and challenging the parliamentarian to drink water at Kalindi Kunj ghat, a stretch of the river known for its persistent pollution.
The political exchange comes days ahead of Chhath Puja, as the Rekha Gupta-led BJP government conducts a large-scale cleanliness drive to clean the Yamuna. Cleaning the river was one of the BJP’s key promises ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections.
Bhardwaj accused the BJP of misleading the public through political theatrics rather than undertaking a sustained initiative to clean the river.
He directly challenged Tiwari and Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Singh Verma to drink Yamuna water to substantiate their claims that the river had been cleaned. The AAP leader claimed that BJP leaders had backed down from a similar challenge last year and predicted that they would do so again.
Earlier in the day, Tiwari took a dip in the Yamuna, claiming that the river’s pollution load had fallen by half over the past year. He also said people could once again celebrate Chhath Puja in the river.
Tiwari said he had tasted Yamuna water at Sonia Vihar and praised the Delhi government’s efforts to clean the river.
“AAP used to blame Haryana for polluting the river. But since the BJP came to power, it has cleaned half of the river in one-and-a-half years,” Tiwari said.
Reacting to the BJP MP’s remarks, Bhardwaj called the BJP leaders “frauds” and posted on X: “These BJP frauds know nothing about Delhi. It is well known that 26 km stretch of Yamuna River from Palla to Wazirabad has always been comparatively clean. It was cleaner during AAP Govt even as per DPCC reports.”
Issuing a direct challenge, Bhardwaj said, “I invite Manoj Tiwari and Water Minister Parvesh Verma to drink water at Kalindi Kunj ghat (near Okhla barrage). Last year also they ran away from the challenge.”
He alleged that BJP leaders were concealing the actual condition of the river to create a misleading impression that the Yamuna had been cleaned.
Bhardwaj reiterated that the approximately 26-kilometre stretch between Palla and Wazirabad had historically remained relatively clean. He also claimed that water quality along this stretch was better during the Aam Aadmi Party government’s tenure.
Referring to reports from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the AAP leader said BJP leaders lacked an understanding of the sources of pollution in the Yamuna and the river’s actual condition. He pointed out that the first major drain enters the Yamuna after the river enters Delhi near the Signature Bridge, close to Wazirabad.
Bhardwaj said BJP leaders should instead provide the public with accurate information about the river’s condition and avoid what he described as futile political point-scoring ahead of Chhath Puja.
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