Union Home Minister Amit Shah, delivered a sharp rebuke to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his government’s repeated failure to clean the Yamuna River, while simultaneously asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has finally paved the path for a fully operational river-cleaning initiative spanning five states.
Addressing the inauguration of a state-of-the-art Sewage Treatment Plant in Delhi, Shah sarcastically recalled the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s empty promise to “take a dip” in the Yamuna to demonstrate commitment to cleaning the river. “The ‘AAP-da’ government had said that if they come to seek votes for the second time, they will take a dip in the Yamuna. They did not do so,” Shah said, delivering a withering critique. He added that BJP leader Parvesh Verma’s symbolic cut-out, made to “take a dip” during a campaign, fell ill and had to be admitted to Safdarjung Hospital a pointed jab at the AAP’s failure to act. “He did not take a dip. The people of Delhi drowned him,” Shah quipped.
Shah then turned to highlighting the Modi government’s commitment to cleaning the river. He asserted that the long-standing promise to purify the Yamuna is now firmly on track, with a comprehensive plan developed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership within just seven months. “Modi ji had promised you that we would complete the work of cleaning the Yamuna before the Lok Sabha elections. A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Modi ji. Officials said that it would require a lot of money. PM Modi said: don’t worry about money. The more we eradicate corruption and reduce advertising, the purer the Yamuna will become,” Amit Shah said.
The Home Minister emphasized that the cleanup project is not limited to Delhi alone but stretches across the entire Yamuna river basin from its source at Yamunotri to its confluence with the Ganga at Prayagraj. Highlighting the political alignment of states along the river, Shah pointed out that Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh now all have BJP governments, facilitating a coordinated approach to the project. “In seven months, under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership, a plan has been developed to clean the Yamuna not only in front of Delhi but also from where it meets the Ganga, all the way to Prayagraj. And look at the coincidence. By the grace of Yamuna, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, all these states, stretching from Yamunotri to Prayagraj, have formed the BJP government. This means that the path to clean the Yamuna has been cleared by the grace of Mother Yamuna,” Amit Shah said.
Amit Shah also stated the Modi government’s economic initiatives for Delhi residents, referring to the newly rolled-out next-generation GST reforms. Taxes on over 395 items have been either abolished or capped at five per cent. He highlighted income tax relief, noting, “Income tax was abolished for incomes up to Rs 12 lakh. When the Manmohan Singh government came to power, everyone with an income of more than 2 lakh rupees was subject to taxation. Modi has increased the limit from 2 lakh rupees to 12 lakh rupees in 10 years. This change has been possible because the people of the country have elected Modi as Prime Minister for the third consecutive time.”
Amit Shah concluded by telling the citizens of Delhi that the dual relief both from taxes and improved infrastructure would make this year a “double Deepawali” for them, framing it as tangible proof of the Modi government’s effective governance.
