BJP national president Nitin Nabin and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday inaugurated an 11-km-long Chhath Puja ghat along the Munak Canal in Shalimar Bagh.
At the inauguration, Nabin took a dig at the previous AAP government over the alleged ‘sheeshmahal’ and contrasted it with the BJP government’s work for devotees.
“The previous government was busy building ‘sheeshmahal’ for themselves and getting health treatment using public money. Now, the BJP government is working on building Chhath ghats across the city. In just 20 months, the Delhi government is fulfilling its promises,” Nabin said while addressing a gathering.
A road-widening project along the canal was also inaugurated on the occasion.
The Flagstaff bungalow, where former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal lived from 2015 to 2024, was dubbed ‘sheeshmahal’ by the BJP during the February 2025 Assembly elections to highlight its allegations of corruption against the Aam Aadmi Party and its national convener.
The BJP chief also criticised those who, he alleged, had questioned India’s religious traditions and culture.
“There was a time when people used to raise questions about Indian Sanatan traditions, Indian worship methods and Indian culture. There were even people here who had questioned the very existence of Lord Ram. What would they understand of Ganga, Chhathi and Yamuna Maiya?” he said.
“For them, it is just river water or a pond. But for us, it is a matter of worship and devotion,” he added.
The Delhi government has revamped a dry stretch of the Munak Canal for Chhath devotees, providing facilities such as changing rooms, toilets, proper lighting and other amenities.
Gupta said she would participate in the Chhath Puja celebrations and that special arrangements had been made this year to ensure every family could celebrate the festival with devotion, dignity and convenience.
“The previous government did not pay attention to this area.
Today, your ‘Kamal ki Sarkar’ has done it. Wherever there is a double-engine government in the country, development has moved forward. The entire Cabinet is working together for the improvement of the city. We are working 24×7 in the national capital, and all our ministers are experts in their domains,” Gupta said.
She also said the government was also working to decongest the city and was constructing a road from Shalimar Bagh to UER-2, which would help reduce traffic congestion.
Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma said the Munak Canal stretch had been revamped after years of neglect.
“The Purvanchali community has built this city with its sweat. For years, this stretch of the canal lay dry and neglected, choked with silt, garbage and foul smell. People crossed it holding their breath. Today, the same place has proper steps, lighting and a wide road, and more than 30,000 people can gather here at one time,” Verma said.
According to Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials, water will be flushed from the Haiderpur Water Treatment Plant (WTP) into the Munak Canal to ensure clean water and an uninterrupted flow for devotees during Chhath Puja.
(PTI)
