New Delhi, October 27, 2025 — A new political controversy has erupted in Delhi. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of preparing a “fake Yamuna ghat” — an artificial pond — for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s holy bath during the Chhath Puja celebrations.
According to AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, the pond built at Vasudev Ghat was filled with clean, filtered drinking water taken from the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant instead of water from the polluted Yamuna River.
In a live video, Bharadwaj showed metal barricades around the setup, saying they were used to separate the clean pond from the dirty river water.
He said, “This is not Yamuna water — this is tap water. The government has created a fake pond just to show that the river is clean.”
Bharadwaj claimed that this was done to impress voters from Bihar, where Chhath Puja holds deep cultural and religious importance.
The BJP, however, dismissed the allegations as political drama. Party spokespersons said the clean water was used only to ensure devotees could perform rituals safely. They added that cleaner water from Haryana was diverted to the area and defoamers were used to reduce the froth floating on the river’s surface.
BJP leaders said the government has been making continuous efforts to clean the Yamuna, and that temporary arrangements like these are meant to help devotees during festivals — not for politics.
AAP leaders countered by saying that if the government was truly serious about cleaning the Yamuna, the people of Delhi would not have to deal with polluted water every day. They demanded that Prime Minister Modi should bathe in the real Yamuna water to show the public that it is safe.
Aaj Tak anchor Anjana Om Kashyap did question Delhi CM Rekha Gupta about the ‘fake’ Yamuna ghat created with filtered water, as claimed by AAP. Do notice her response. She didn’t deny it. pic.twitter.com/OXAqv07WF7 https://t.co/FMDECZtEnX
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) October 27, 2025
Political experts believe this issue may not stay limited to Delhi — it could also influence Bihar’s upcoming elections, since Chhath Puja is a major festival for the region’s people. Both parties are expected to use this issue as part of their political messaging in the coming weeks.
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