New Delhi: A fresh political row erupted in Delhi on Wednesday, July 23, after heavy rains led to waterlogging across the national capital, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders taking swipes at the ruling BJP over what they termed “Delhi’s new swimming pools”.
Several videos of locals backstroking through flooded roads and riding inflatable tubs were shared by the AAP, accusing the BJP government of failure despite tall pre-monsoon claims.
Senior AAP leaders including Manish Sisodia, Atishi, and Saurabh Bhardwaj led the charge on social media, highlighting the state of West Vinod Nagar and Patparganj after the downpour.
Atishi posted a viral video of a man swimming across a submerged street in West Vinod Nagar. “We are in West Vinod Nagar. Our MLA says no waterlogging occurs here. I will show you by swimming here,” the man could be heard saying in the clip.
Taking a dig at Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, Atishi captioned her post, "Many congratulations to Chief Minister @gupta_rekha for starting so many swimming pools in Delhi!"
Have a look at her post here:
AAP’s official handle wrote, “You (CM Gupta) made big claims in the media about tackling waterlogging, but today, entire Delhi is drowning, and you're relaxing in your grand palace. The public is now swimming on the roads and inviting all BJP leaders to join them for a swim.”
BJP Blames '12 Years of Inaction'
MLA Ravinder Singh Negi, whose Patparganj constituency faced severe flooding, responded by citing the intensity of the rainfall. “It has rained heavily. Waterlogging will happen. Four pumps are working. Previous governments did nothing on the issue of waterlogging in the last 12 years,” he said, adding that the BJP-led administration was only four months old.
Despite the chaos in many parts of Delhi, the Minto Bridge area remained water-free after new pumps and drains were installed ahead of the monsoon, as per reports.
