Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday, 14 June led the 'Maa Yamuna Riverbank Cleanliness Drive' at Yamuna Ghat, mobilising thousands of volunteers, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, cabinet ministers, and elected representatives across 28 ghats along the Yamuna River in a coordinated sanitation push. The campaign, framed as part of 'Seva Pakhwada' marking 12 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in office, began as early as 6 am and continued for several hours.

Scale and Coordination

The drive spanned multiple locations across the capital, with simultaneous cleaning operations at Yamuna Ghat, ITO Ghat, and Kalindi Kunj, among others. Union Minister of State and Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra participated at Yamuna Ghat, Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma joined at ITO Ghat, and BJP MP Swati Maliwal took part at Kalindi Kunj. BJP MP Yogender Chandoliya also participated in the initiative.

According to Chandoliya, the campaign brought together the entire Delhi Cabinet, all seven Delhi MPs, BJP MLAs, municipal councillors, and thousands of party workers under the leadership of CM Gupta and Delhi BJP President Malhotra.

What Leaders Said

CM Rekha Gupta said, 'Today, thousands of volunteers from various organisations participated in shramdaan here. All our Bharatiya Janata Party workers also took part in the cleanliness drive and contributed through shramdaan. From as early as 6 a.m., continuous work has been underway for the cleaning of the Yamuna…'

Harsh Malhotra stated that the BJP and the Delhi government 'have taken up this responsibility' and that 'many voluntary organisations across Delhi are engaged in cleaning the Yamuna at 28 different points.'

BJP MP Swati Maliwal said, 'Today, many social institutions and the entire BJP family have come together at the Yamuna to participate in the cleanliness drive. We are all working collectively, and this campaign will continue for several hours. We aim to ensure that the Yamuna riverbank is completely clean…'

Political Context

BJP MLA Harish Khurana explicitly linked the drive to the ruling party's political calendar, saying workers were celebrating 'Seva Pakhwada' on the completion of 12 years of Prime Minister Modi in office. BJP MLA Umang Bajaj echoed the sentiment, noting that cleaning the Yamuna ghats was being done as a mark of that occasion. BJP leader Virendra Sachdeva described the effort as a 'Swachhata Abhiyan' running across all riverbanks in Delhi.

Why the Yamuna Remains a Persistent Issue

The Yamuna's pollution has been a long-running political flashpoint in Delhi, with successive governments — including the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration — having pledged and failed to fully clean the river. The BJP-led Delhi government, which came to power earlier this year, has positioned Yamuna restoration as a flagship commitment. Notably, cleanliness drives of this nature are periodic; the deeper challenge lies in tackling sewage discharge, industrial effluents, and encroachments that continue to degrade water quality. How today's shramdaan translates into sustained policy action will determine its long-term impact.