Task of cleaning Yamuna to be completed before next LS polls: Home Minister Shah
New Delhi (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the Centre’s resolve to rejuvenate the Yamuna river is not a political move but an effort to honour the sacred place the river holds in the hearts of the people.
Shah was speaking after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for development projects worth around Rs 1,816 crore of the Delhi government in the national capital. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and several other dignitaries were present at the event.
Extending advance greetings to the people of Delhi for Diwali and Chhath Puja, Shah said that about 80 per cent of the projects inaugurated on Thursday are linked to efforts to clean the Yamuna.
“When the people of Delhi chose change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that purifying Mother Yamuna would be the top priority of his government. He promised to complete this task by 2029,” Shah said. “By merely reducing corruption and cutting down on advertisement expenses, the dream of a clean Yamuna can be realised,” he added.
He said that under PM Modi’s leadership, a plan has been prepared to clean the Yamuna up to Prayagraj within the next seven months. “The AAP-da government had promised to clean the Yamuna and take a dip in it, but they didn’t take the dip — instead, the people of Delhi made them sink,” Shah quipped, while hitting out at the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government.
In 2020, Kejriwal had promised that before the next elections, they would ensure that the Yamuna became so clean that people would be able to take a dip in it. He had said he would join people in taking a dip.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
