AAP leaders perform 'havan' at Kalindi Kunj Ghat for BJP minister's alleged "toxic" remark on Yamuna River

New Delhi [India], December 31 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party leaders performed a 'havan' on the banks of the Yamuna River at Kalindi Kunj Ghat on Wednesday, following Delhi's Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa's statement two days ago that the water in the Yamuna was "toxic", according to MLA Sanjeev Jha.
Speaking to reporters, AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha said party leaders are performing the "havan" ritual to seek forgiveness from "Lord Bhaskar" for the BJP minister's statement. He also said that BJP members had claimed just 2 months ago that the Yamuna water was clean and even safe to bathe in.

He said that changing the statement and calling the water impure now has hurt the sentiments of the people of Purvanchal; therefore, a "havan" ritual was required, as Jha claimed that calling the water impure indirectly impures the people's puja as well.
AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha told the media, "Today, we came to Kalindi Kunj on the banks of the Yamuna River to perform puja of Lord Bhaskar and also to seek forgiveness from him. (Delhi's Environment Minister) Manjinder Singh Sirsa said two days ago that the Yamuna's water is toxic and sewage-contaminated, and that anyone can enter the river; nobody should go. But just 2 months ago, BJP members said that the Yamuna water was totally clean and safe to enter and take a bath."
In the end, he demanded that the BJP Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, and other party members stop spreading "false propaganda" and even said he was asking "Lord Bhaskar" to forgive the BJP. He also demanded that the party should not hurt people's religious sentiments by calling the Yamuna River's water toxic.
"If it is toxic, then the puja has become impure, and this happened due to the propaganda of the BJP party. Today, we came to ask forgiveness from Lord Bhaskar because, due to the false propaganda of BJP leaders, the worship of thousands of people from Purvanchal who were here to worship him has become impure. May Lord Bhaskar forgive their mistakes and also give some sense to Rekha Gupta and her government that at atleast they don't hurt people's religious sentiments. And in future, such propaganda should be avoided.", he said.
Earlier this month, Delhi Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma said that the current Delhi government (BJP) is tackling pollution and civic issues left behind by the previous Aam Aadmi Party government led by Arvind Kejriwal. He said the issues facing the national capital did not develop overnight but were the result of "11 years of neglect" by the AAP.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Verma listed a wide range of civic and environmental works that he said should have been completed over the past decade, including removal of garbage dumps, repair of footpaths and parks, e-waste management, cleaning of the Yamuna, maintenance of drains, sewage treatment plants, water treatment facilities, plastic waste management, road cleaning, and implementation of an electric vehicle policy.
"All these works should have been done in 11 years. If even half of the work had been completed, we would only have had to finish the remaining part. But not even a single task was completed. Before we started working, less than five per cent of these projects had been executed," Verma said.
He said the current Delhi government was formed on February 20, 2025. He claimed that from the very next day, the Chief Minister, ministers and officials were on the ground addressing civic issues.
Verma added, "Ahead of the monsoon, major drains were cleaned, and nearly 20 lakh metric tonnes of waste were removed, helping prevent waterlogging at previously vulnerable locations, including Minto Bridge." (ANI)