AAP alleges PM Modi cancelled his visit after a “fake Yamuna Ghat” built with filtered water was exposed online; BJP calls it political drama, says the river is cleaner than ever.
New Delhi: What was supposed to be a show of faith and governance turned into a full-blown political storm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unexpected absence from Delhi’s Chhath Puja celebrations has triggered fierce debate — with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleging that the Prime Minister cancelled his visit after learning that a “fake Yamuna Ghat” had been constructed to showcase a clean river ahead of elections.
According to AAP, the Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government, under BJP, created an artificial pond at Vasudev Ghat, cut off from the actual Yamuna by a mud wall, and filled it with filtered Ganga water brought through a pipeline from the Sonia Vihar treatment plant.
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj shared videos on X (formerly Twitter), claiming the site was a “manufactured set-up for a political photo-op.”
“The BJP built a fake Yamuna to fool devotees and the Prime Minister. The water in which Chhath was performed wasn’t Yamuna water at all,” Bharadwaj alleged.
He further claimed that the PM’s participation plan was cancelled at the last minute after the truth surfaced online — saying, “Social media exposed their deceit. Once the truth went viral, the PMO had no choice but to withdraw.”
BJP’s Counter: ‘Faith, Not Politics’
Rejecting the allegations, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said AAP was “playing dirty politics over faith.”
“In just eight months we have cleaned the Yamuna enough for devotees to worship there. Chhath is about belief, not politics,” he said.
Sachdeva accused Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leaders of hypocrisy, noting that for a decade they denied permission to Purvanchali communities for Chhath on the Yamuna banks.
“When they were in power, they stopped Chhath Puja altogether. Now that people can finally celebrate, they’re inventing lies,” he added.
The BJP maintained that the mud barrier shown in AAP’s videos existed long before the festival and was part of regular riverbank work, not a recent alteration.
Was PM Modi’s Absence Strategic?
Sources in Delhi political circles suggest that the PMO’s advance team had completed security checks and protocols at the site, but the viral controversy over the “fake Yamuna” led to a last-minute rethink.
With Bihar elections approaching — where Chhath carries immense emotional and cultural weight — the optics of performing rituals in an “artificial” Yamuna could have proved politically damaging.
Thus, what was expected to be a grand display of cultural outreach reportedly turned into a risk-avoidance decision.
Faith, Optics, and Accountability
The controversy highlights how faith-based events have become political battlegrounds in Delhi’s governance wars. For AAP, it’s a question of truth and environmental honesty; for BJP, a matter of restored religious pride.
As both parties trade accusations of deceit and hypocrisy, Delhi’s citizens are left asking a simple question —
“Did the Prime Minister skip the Chhath Puja to avoid a political embarrassment?”
