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Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday responded sharply to Congress leader Alka Lamba’s ‘photo-op’ remark regarding the Yamuna cleaning efforts. Sirsa attributed such statements to what he termed as Congress’ ‘mentality,’ dismissing Lamba’s criticism as politically motivated.
Sirsa remarked, “Two types of people go to temples: ones who have faith and the ones who go to steal ‘chappals’… The ones who go to steal chappals think that everyone is there to do the same. It is not Congress’s or AAP’s fault; it is their mentality.”
The controversy arose after Alka Lamba took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Delhi, alleging that the Yamuna cleaning project was being used for publicity rather than achieving tangible results. She stated, “I congratulate her (Rekha Gupta) as she has a huge responsibility now. They (BJP) keep promising; also, they have been in power at the centre. All the 7 MLAs of Delhi are from BJP. Let’s see what they do to clean Yamuna now, as they are in power in Delhi as well. For now, I think all the machines cleaning Yamuna and everything there is being done just for photo ops.”
Cabinet Meeting Priorities
Yamuna pollution has been a major concern in the capital, especially during the recently concluded assembly elections. The newly sworn-in Delhi Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, also weighed in on governance priorities, stating that her government had approved the Ayushman Bharat scheme in its first cabinet meeting, which she claimed had been blocked by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) earlier.
“In the cabinet meeting yesterday, we approved the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which was blocked by the AAP. The scheme will soon be in the public domain… Today, we have called the PWD and Jal Board officials for a meeting with the cabinet. We will take over the issue of potholes,” Gupta told reporters.
Meanwhile, Rekha Gupta met with a large number of supporters outside her residence in Shalimar Bagh, where she was greeted with garlands and flower bouquets. She was sworn in as Delhi’s ninth Chief Minister at a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan on February 20.
With BJP now in power in both the Centre and Delhi, all eyes are on the new administration’s next steps in addressing the capital’s pressing issues, including pollution control and infrastructure development.
(With ANI Inputs)
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