Yamuna revival should be seen as a sacred duty

The pollution of River Yamuna became a focal point during the Delhi elections 2025.

- GOVIND SINGH AND KONSAM NIRMALA

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party failed to fulfill its promise of cleaning the Yamuna and was voted out of power. This failure was highlighted by all other political parties, most notably the Prime Minister-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as symbolic of failure to deliver on many other promises made to the people. BJP leader Parvesh Verma, who fought and won from Kejriwal's constituency, immersed a life-size cutout of Kejriwal in the Yamuna. The cutout showed Kejriwal confessing to have failed in cleaning the river and urging people not to vote for him.

The elections have concluded, and BJP has won the overwhelming mandate of the people. It is now BJP's turn to deliver on the Yamuna revival promise or risk facing similar consequences in the next election. Pollution in the Yamuna in Delhi has continued to rise despite several measures undertaken to control it.

BJP can learn from past experience which teaches that haphazard and half-hearted measures do little to clean the River. Mere allocation of a budget and announcement of grand schemes also does not help. Expecting one agency or government department to clean the river has also not worked in the past. The Yamuna clean-up is a multi-faceted, trans-disciplinary, inter-departmental task which needs to be undertaken as a sacred duty.