Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta firmly addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding the "clean" water enclosure at Vasudev Ghat during this year's Chhath Puja celebrations, dismissing Opposition allegations as a fabricated narrative aimed at political gain. Speaking at the 23rd Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS) 2025 on December 6, 2025, Gupta clarified that the pond in question was filled with Yamuna River water after extensive cleanup efforts, including the removal of tonnes of mud from the muddy riverbank to ensure safe facilities for devotees. "The Opposition just wants to create a story," she remarked, accusing previous administrations of suppressing the festival for over a decade and ignoring the faith of thousands of Purvanchali residents in the capital.

The row erupted in late October 2025 during the four-day Chhath Puja, when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)—now in the Opposition after the BJP's assembly election victory—claimed the BJP-led government had constructed an "artificial Yamuna" by pumping filtered drinking water from the Wazirabad treatment plant into a separate enclosure at Vasudev Ghat. AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged this was done exclusively for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's anticipated ritual dip on October 28, while ordinary devotees were left to wade in the notoriously polluted river, exposing them to health risks. Bharadwaj's viral video, showing the crystal-clear enclosure contrasted against the Yamuna's toxic foam, sparked widespread outrage and accusations of "fooling" the public ahead of Bihar elections, with critics quipping that "the PM is neither in the Ganga nor the Yamuna—he's standing in filtered water."

Gupta countered by highlighting her government's proactive measures, noting that facilities were provided at 13,500 spots across Delhi—the first time in 11 years that Chhath was permitted directly on Yamuna banks—complete with barricades to prevent overflows and environmental damage. She emphasised that the BJP never claimed the Yamuna was pristine but focused on enabling safe celebrations after years of bans under the AAP regime from 2018 to 2024. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva echoed this, calling AAP's objections "shameful political frustration" and pointing out that cleaning efforts at Vasudev Ghat were met with resistance from the likes of Bharadwaj, who allegedly protested the availability of "clean water" at a religious site. Local reports and investigations post-Puja, including by Dainik Bhaskar, suggested the enclosure was indeed filled via tankers rather than direct river flow, fuelling AAP's claims, though BJP officials maintained it was desilted Yamuna water.

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The controversy intensified when PM Modi ultimately skipped the Vasudev Ghat event, opting instead for celebrations elsewhere, which AAP hailed as a victory for social media exposure of the "fake pond". Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh and Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra defended the preparations, inspecting over 1,300 ghats and instructing officials to prioritise devotee convenience without promising the river's potability. Atishi, AAP's Leader of Opposition in the assembly, decried it as "discrimination and an insult to Chhath's sanctity," arguing that while leaders enjoyed treated water, marginalised communities faced the Yamuna's untreated effluents, which the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has warned can cause serious diseases.

As Delhi grapples with the Yamuna's perennial pollution—levels spiking back to toxic foam near Kalindi Kunj by late November 2025, just weeks after the "cleanup" claims—the episode underscores deeper governance tensions between BJP and AAP over environmental accountability and cultural festivals. Gupta's HTLS remarks, delivered amid broader discussions on urban development, framed the government's actions as inclusive empowerment rather than elitist optics, vowing continued support for such traditions to foster community harmony.

The Vasudev Ghat saga, blending faith, politics, and ecology, highlights the Yamuna's symbolic yet starkly polluted status in the national capital, where revival promises remain unfulfilled despite multi-crore projects. With Chhath drawing lakhs of migrants annually, future celebrations may demand transparent, equitable arrangements to avoid similar flashpoints.

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