New Delhi: Days ahead of the grand Chhath Puja celebrations, a massive political row has erupted in the national capital following the sudden discovery of dead fish floating in the Yamuna river. The incident has triggered a fierce war of words, with severe allegations of deliberate sabotage clashing against counter-claims of extreme river pollution.
Leading the offensive, Pravesh Verma alleged that the dead fish were intentionally dumped into the river by vested political interests to ruin the festive atmosphere and tarnish the administration’s image. Directing his ire at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Arvind Kejriwal, Verma stated that this was an act of “cheap politics” designed to create panic before the Chhath festival, which is expected to draw large crowds of devotees to the riverbanks on November 15 and 16.
“As soon as the ferry service started in the Yamuna, our department officials reported that some people were dumping dead fish into the river. The Chhath festival is approaching, and they are trying to spoil the atmosphere,” Verma claimed. He further added that he has directed the relevant departments to file a First Information Report (FIR) to unmask those responsible and ascertain their political affiliations, vowing that the truth will be brought before the public.
Following these instructions, the Executive Engineer of the Irrigation and Flood Control Department formally wrote to the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Sonia Vihar police station, requesting an FIR against unidentified persons for intentionally contaminating the river.
Hitting back sharply at these accusations, senior AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj dismissed the sabotage claims as entirely baseless. Bhardwaj pointed out a glaring discrepancy, noting that while Verma was verbally accusing people of bringing dead fish from outside, this specific sabotage claim was notably absent from the official police complaint.
Bhardwaj asserted that the mass death of the fish was a direct consequence of the highly toxic water levels in the Yamuna. “Everyone knows the fish died due to the polluted water. Perhaps they are scared that a proper investigation will expose the truth about the Yamuna’s pollution,” Bhardwaj remarked, challenging the authorities to conduct a scientific probe into how thousands of fish actually perished instead of playing the blame game.