Govt., BJP spar over Chhath planning as festivities begin today

Chief Minister Atishi taking stock of the Chhath Puja preparations near ITO in New Delhi Monday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

A day before the beginning of the four-day Chhath celebrations, Chief Minister Atishi on Monday accused the BJP of “obstructing preparations” for the festival. The main Opposition party in Delhi rejected the charge and claimed that essentials like power supply were missing from most ghats constructed for the devotees.

The war of words came amid the accumulation of toxic froth in the Yamuna. The festival is predominantly celebrated by the Purvanchalis, the Bhojpuri-speaking people from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and parts of Jharkhand.

The numerically strong Purvanchali community could play a crucial role in deciding the fate of the Assembly election due in February next year.

Inspecting the Yamuna ghat at ITO, the CM alleged that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), controlled by the BJP-led Centre, halted the Chhath preparations in a south Delhi locality. “The halting of Chhath Puja by the BJP’s DDA in Chirag Dilli shows its anti-Purvanchal mentality,” she said.

Ms. Atishi said her government has constructed over 1,000 ghats in the city for the festival.

Meanwhile, Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the BJP of “orchestrating a campaign” to prevent the celebrations at Satpula Park in the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency.

In response, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva alleged that AAP MLAs, particularly Mr. Bhardwaj, tried to “politically take over the Chhath Puja ghats” while the Yamuna remains as polluted as it was a fortnight ago even though the government had promised to get it cleaned before the festival.

Mr. Sachdeva said work on 800 ghats is still not over. “Most ghats still lack power supply,” he added.

Commenting on the issue, Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav said devotees are extremely worried about air pollution and the toxic froth that has accumulated in the Yamuna.

“Every year, when the air and water turn toxic, the AAP government comes up with various proposals to control pollution but they rarely make any difference as plans are not translated into concrete actions. As a result, people are left to fend for themselves,” Mr. Yadav said.