AAP alleges PM Modi cancelled Chhath Puja event at "fake Yamuna" amid social media backlash
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled a scheduled Chhath Puja appearance at Vasudev Ghat in Delhi after accusations of a "fake Yamuna" being created for a photoshoot went viral on social media. AAP leader and Delhi Convenor Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed the event was orchestrated by the BJP-led government in Delhi to project a clean image of the river ahead of the upcoming Bihar elections.
Addressing a press conference, Bharadwaj asserted that the BJP government, under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, had manufactured an artificial setup with filtered water to mislead the public. "The BJP government wanted to showcase a clean Yamuna before the Bihar elections by creating a set resembling filtered water," Bharadwaj stated, adding that the plan was exposed on social media, leading to the cancellation of the Prime Minister's visit.
The allegations were amplified by Bharadwaj in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he wrote, "PM Modi cancels his Chhath Puja & Surya Arghya at 'Fake Yamuna' manufactured at Vasudev Ghat. BJP leadership seems quite embarrassed that their CM @gupta_rekha Govt’s fraud on Pollution has been exposed widely on Social Media."
According to AAP, extensive preparations, including security arrangements and inspections by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), were made at the ghat. Bharadwaj claimed that the last-minute cancellation caused "embarrassment" for the BJP leadership and undermined the credibility of the central government's data on pollution and other issues.
However, reports from Hindustan Hindi noted that there had been no official announcement from the BJP or the PMO regarding Prime Minister Modi's participation in a Chhath Puja event at any Yamuna ghat in Delhi. The claims of a scheduled and subsequently cancelled event have originated from AAP. The BJP has not yet issued a formal response to the allegations.
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2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
