Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva was admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital after suffering severe itching and breathing difficulties following a protest dip in the heavily polluted Yamuna River. The act was intended to highlight the Delhi government’s alleged failure to meet its 2025 deadline for cleaning the river.

Protest and Health Consequences

Sachdeva, who took the dip on Thursday, reportedly did so to “seek forgiveness” for the “corruption” he claims exists in fund management for river cleaning projects. The BJP has alleged that these funds have been misused under the Delhi government, leading to Sachdeva’s symbolic protest, which resulted in his illness.

Delhi Government’s Response

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai criticized Sachdeva’s actions as “drama,” attributing Yamuna’s pollution to untreated wastewater from BJP-led governments in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Yamuna’s Worsening Pollution Crisis

The pollution in the Yamuna River has reached critical levels, with a thick layer of toxic froth containing harmful chemicals covering its surface. This froth poses serious health risks such as respiratory problems and skin irritations, and has impacted Delhi’s water treatment plants due to elevated ammonia levels. The situation is particularly pressing with the Hindu festival of Chhath Puja approaching, during which devotees traditionally bathe in the river.

BJP Sets Up Symbolic Stage to Pressure AAP

On Thursday, the BJP set up a stage at the Yamuna’s Chhath Ghat, symbolically placing two chairs for Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and her predecessor, Arvind Kejriwal, as a reminder of the AAP’s unfulfilled promise to clean the Yamuna by 2025.