"Can one take bath in Gomati river?": Samajwadi Party leader slams Yogi Adityanath

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 24 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Fakhrul Hasan Chaand on Friday morning hit out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his criticism of Aam Admi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on the issue of Yamuna's cleanliness, highlighting the pollution in Gomati river in Lucknow.
Talking about the water pollution in rivers of Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur and Lucknow, he said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can only ask questions, but cannot answer them.
"In 2014, BJP had promised to clean rivers in the country, including Ganga. With the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister raising questions regarding the cleanliness of Yamuna, he is also questioning the promises made by the BJP. Merely raising questions is the character of the BJP. The Gomati river in Lucknow witnesses the dump of nalas. Can one take a bath in Gomati? At one point, in many rivers of Uttar Pradesh, in Kanpur and Lucknow, fish couldn't survive. They can't only ask questions, but cannot answer," Chaand told ANI.
His reaction came a day after CM Yogi Adityanath lashed out at Kejriwal over the alleged pollution in Yamuna. Yogi stated that he along with his state cabinet took a dip in the Sangam in Prayagraj earlier in the week and threw up a similar challenge to Kejriwal.
Yogi, who is one of the star campaigners for the BJP in the run-up to the Delhi assembly polls, addressed a public rally and said, "If as a Chief Minister, my ministers and I can take a dip in the Sangam in Prayagraj, then I want to ask the president of AAP in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, can he go and take a bath in Yamuna with his ministers?"
Furthermore, the SP leader praised the AAP government in Delhi, highlighting its work on health, education and other essential facilities, saying that his party stands with them in the assembly polls since they have managed to fulfil promises of a socialist nature.
"BJP has betrayed the people by not fulfilling the promises made by previous years. The AAP government has worked for the farmers, the poor and labourers. They have focused on health facilities, electricity, water and education. They have fulfilled socialist promises and this is why Samajwadi Party has extended support to AAP," Chaand said.
Earlier, AAP leader Sanjay Singh came down heavily on the BJP, saying that no matter how hard Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath try, the BJP will be "wiped out" in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.
Speaking to ANI, Sanjay Singh said, "No matter how hard UP CM Yogi Adityanath, PM Modi try or they could even call US President Donald Trump to campaign, BJP will be wiped out in the Delhi elections."
The Delhi Assembly elections will take place in a single phase on February 5, and the counting of votes is set for February 8. A total of 699 candidates are competing for the 70 assembly seats in Delhi.
The Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in Delhi, has suffered setbacks in the last two assembly elections and has failed to win any seats. In contrast, the AAP dominated the 2015 and 2020 assembly elections by winning 67 and 62 seats, respectively, out of a total of 70 seats, while the BJP got only three and eight seats in these elections. (ANI)