'Will you take a sip from Yamuna?’: Akhilesh Yadav challenges Yogi Adityanath after UP CM targets Kejriwal

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday took a veiled jibe at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, questioning if he could sip water from the Yamuna river in his own state, specifically in Mathura.

The remark followed Yogi Adityanath's criticism of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal regarding the Yamuna's pollution levels during his Delhi assembly election campaign.

While campaigning for the BJP on Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister accused Kejriwal of sinning by turning the Yamuna into a "dirty drain". He dared Kejriwal and his cabinet to bathe in the river, questioning their moral standing.

Addressing a rally in the Kirari on Thursday, Adityanath had said, "...If as a Chief Minister, my ministers and I can take a dip in the Sangam in Prayagraj, then I want to ask the president of Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, can he go and take a bath in Yamuna with his ministers?"

UP CM Yogi Adityanath had participated in a holy dip at the Sangam in Prayagraj on Wednesday.

Akhilesh responded to Adityanath's remarks in a post on X (formerly Twitter) without naming anyone directly.

"Before challenging others, people should dare sip water from the Yamuna which flows through Mathura in their state," the SP chief said in a Hindi post.

Yogi had also accused the AAP and Kejriwal of not cooperating with the central government under the Namami Gange project for the Yamuna's cleanliness, stating that devotees and saints in Mathura-Vrindavan are victims of AAP's "sins" as Yamuna water reaches the state as a dirty drain.

The Yamuna's severe pollution and the ongoing efforts to clean and conserve it have turned the river into a key political issue in Delhi over the years. The Delhi Assembly elections are scheduled for a single phase on February 5, with vote counting set for February 8. A total of 699 candidates are vying for the 70 assembly seats.