Yogi invites Kejriwal for dip in Sangam with Delhi cabinet: 'Would do them good'

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath takes a holy dip at the Sangam during the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, in Prayagraj. (PTI file)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday suggested that Aam Aadmi Party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal should take a dip in the Triveni Sangam at Prayagraj along with his entire Cabinet, hoping that "it would do them some good".

"I would suggest that, just as I took a dip in the holy Triveni Sangam of Maa Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati with my entire cabinet, they should also take a dip here. It would do them good," CM Adityanath said in an exclusive interview to Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi.

The issue of Yamuna pollution has become an issue ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections with CM Adityanath questioned whether Kejriwal and Delhi ministers would dare take a dip in the polluted Yamuna river.

"Can Kejriwal and his ministers bathe in the Yamuna? I don’t think they would dare, and I don’t think the people of Delhi will forgive him for this negligence," he had said addressing his first rally for Delhi elections on Thursday.

In his interview to Network18 on Saturday, CM Adityanath intensified his attack on the Delhi government. "Look at the Yamuna in Prayagraj and compare it to the Yamuna in Delhi. Here, you can take a holy sip and even bathe in the river. Is that possible in Delhi? I want to emphasize that the Aam Aadmi Party has betrayed the nation, the people of Delhi, and the residents of the capital. Just look at the situation there—they have turned the Yamuna into a filthy drain. This has not only impacted the people of Delhi but also those in Mathura, Vrindavan, and Agra," he said.

Adityanath further said that when pure waters from rivers like Chambal, Ken, and Betwa merge into the Yamuna, the river regains its divinity. "Thanks to the treatment plants we have installed at various locations, Maa Ganga and Maa Yamuna now flow here in their purest form. Otherwise, the situation they created would have been dire. This isn’t just about a river; they have deceived Indian culture itself. Their betrayal extends to the very essence of our heritage," he added.

Responding to Kejriwal' remark that he wants to send the Delhi Education minister to Uttar Pradesh to give tips to the Yogi government on implementing changes in education, the Chief Minister said that if the Delhi education minister comes to Uttar Pradesh, he would leave with lessons.

"Let me remind them that Uttar Pradesh’s education budget alone is as much as Delhi’s entire budget. Their total budget is Rs 78,000 – Rs 80,000 crore, whereas Uttar Pradesh’s education budget exceeds Rs 1 lakh crore, ranging from Rs 1 lakh crore to Rs 1.2 lakh crore. What can they teach us? Instead, they’ll end up learning from us," the Chief Minister further said.

During the interaction, CM Adityanath also said that the BJP had managed to successfully regain the people's trust with victories in Haryana and Maharashtra. He further exuded confidence that the party would return to power in UP on the back of welfare measures aimed at the poor and the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.