AAP challenges Delhi CM to drink Yamuna water, accuses BJP of misleading Purvanchalis
New Delhi (PTI): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday escalated its attack on the BJP government over the Yamuna's pollution levels ahead of Chhath puja, with the party's Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj challenging Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to drink water from the river to prove her claims that it had been cleaned.
There was no immediate response available from the Delhi government over the accusation.
Addressing a press conference, Bharadwaj said, "Yamuna Ji's water contains sewage, and this has been confirmed by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) report under the BJP government. Millions of people from the Purvanchal community will be victims of the lies and deceit of BJP leaders and CM Rekha Gupta."
People from Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand living in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) are referred to as Purvanchalis.
He alleged that the BJP government had obstructed AAP's plans to clean the Yamuna when it was in power, and accused the ruling party of "spreading a regime of lies" for political gains.
"Our government made a plan to clean Yamuna Ji, but the BJP's LG created all sorts of obstacles. If Rekha Gupta claims the river is clean, she should drink its water and show it," he said.
AAP leader and Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha, who was also present, alleged that the BJP was "playing with the lives of Purvanchalis" for political mileage.
"While in power, the BJP is playing with the lives of the Purvanchal community for political benefits. The BJP has always hated Purvanchalis and this time it is playing with their health," he said.
In a post on X, Bharadwaj cited a Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) report dated October 23, claiming the Yamuna's water was "not even suitable for bathing" and contained "human waste in alarming quantity".
He further alleged that the Haryana government had diverted water from the Eastern Yamuna Canal for a week, which would worsen pollution levels after the diversion stopped.
Later in the day, several AAP leaders reached the chief minister's residence with bottles of Yamuna water, reiterating their challenge for Gupta to drink it.
"CM Madam, drink the so-called clean water of Yamuna," the party said in a post on X.
The war of words comes as Chhath puja, a four-day festival dedicated to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, begins on Friday. The BJP, which returned to power in Delhi earlier this year after 26 years, has made rejuvenating the Yamuna one of its key promises.
The political temperature in the capital has been rising ahead of the festival, with both parties accusing each other of misleading people over the river's condition and preparations for Chhath celebrations.
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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.
