Tiwari Claims Yamuna Cleanup After Sonia Vihar Dip

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari took a dip in the Yamuna at Sonia Vihar on October 29 and said nearly 30 kilometres of Delhi’s 58-kilometre stretch had been cleaned, a claim challenged by the Aam Aadmi Party as pollution concerns resurfaced ahead of Chhath Puja. Tiwari also sipped river water and pointed to birds near the water as signs of improvement. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Water Minister Parvesh Verma for cleanup work, while clarifying that he was not claiming the entire Delhi stretch was clean. He urged devotees to celebrate Chhath near natural water bodies and called for permanent ghats and ponds instead of temporary festival arrangements. The AAP disputed his assessment. Delhi party president Saurabh Bharadwaj said the stretch between Palla and Wazirabad had historically been comparatively cleaner and challenged Tiwari and Parvesh Verma to drink water at Kalindi Kunj, farther downstream. The party also called Tiwari’s claim that he drank the water false. Those assertions were political claims and were not independently established by the cited monitoring figures. Delhi Pollution Control Committee monitoring for September 2026...