Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken has criticised the Aam Aadmi Party Government for making poor arrangements for the Chhath Puja, being observed by lakhs of Poorvanchalis in the national Capital, begining Tuesday. He said the Government failed to ensure clean water in the Yamuna, and for only playing politics by providing financial help for Chhath Puja, in a ‘pick and choose’ manner.
Addressing a joint Press conference with former MP and Poorvanchal leader Mahabal Mishra and party’s chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee, Maken said “The Kejriwal Government neither writes to the Haryana Government for release of fresh water into the Yamuna for the Chhath Puja nor BJP-led Haryana Government has taken any initiative to release water.”
“Chhath Puja begins tomorrow but unfortunately, the Yamuna river is dirty and polluted. The devotees would be forced to do their puja in this dirty water,” he said.
Maken said when the Congress came to power in Delhi in 1998, there were only 13 ghats for
Chhath Puja. “But the Congress Government had increased the ghats to 74 so that the Poorvnachali devotees could conduct the pujas in a smooth manner.”
Earlier, Maken, accompanied by Mahabal Mishra, Sharmistha Mukjerjee and other party leaders, inspected the Chattha Ghats on the banks of the Yamuna.