Delhi BJP chief in hospital after taking a dip in Yamuna to show AAP’s failure to clean river

Latest update:26 Oct 2024, 21:58 IST

Sachdeva complained of itching and difficulty breathing two days after he took a dip in the Yamuna to demonstrate AAP’s failure to manage the river and clean it.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva was admitted to the RML Nursing Home on Saturday complaining of itching and difficulty breathing, two days after he took a dip in the heavily polluted Yamuna to highlight the AAP government’s alleged failure to clean the river.

On Thursday, Sachdeva took a dip in the Yamuna near Chhat Ghat and criticized former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his “failure” to fulfill his promise to clean the river by 2025.

After the dive, Sachdeva experienced skin rashes and slight breathing discomfort for which he was examined at RML Hospital, where doctors prescribed him medication for three days.

However, the BJP leader was admitted to the RML Nursing Home on Saturday morning after he complained of itching and shortness of breath.

He had no such problem, the Delhi BJP media cell said in a statement.

Wishing Sachdevi a speedy recovery, senior AAP leader and Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said BJP leaders must now realize that their “theatrics” will not clean the river.

Sachdeva on Thursday “apologised” to the Yamuna for the AAP government’s “failure” to clean the water, promising to form a separate body to rejuvenate it if the BJP wins the Assembly elections scheduled for Delhi next year.

Politics around the Yamuna have intensified in Delhi after a layer of toxic foam appeared on the river’s surface due to high levels of pollutants, leading to a spat between the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP.

The war of words has become more intense in view of the upcoming Chhath festival, which is widely celebrated in Delhi-NCR by the people of Purvanchali.

Before the ban, large numbers of women used to gather along the banks of the Yamuna during Chhath to worship the Sun god in knee-deep waters of the river.

AAP leaders say the toxic foam in the Yamuna at Kalindikunj was caused by millions of gallons of untreated industrial sewage being released into the river from drains in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, both BJP-ruled states.

(This story was not edited by News18 staff and was published from the syndicated news agency channel – PTI)