The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today tore apart the façade of the BJP-led Mega Cleanliness Campaign in Delhi, charging the BJP’s four-engine government with running a sham exercise while the capital drowns in filth. Addressing a press conference at the MCD headquarters, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the MCD Ankush Narang presented visuals of massive garbage accumulation across the Central Zone and warned that if cleanliness is not restored within a week, AAP will take to the streets in protest.
Ankush Narang pointed out that BJP’s top brass — from the Chief Minister and ministers to local leaders — indulged in photo-ops at already clean locations to create a false narrative of success. “This was not a campaign but a stunt. Vulnerable garbage points haven’t decreased — they have increased. Dumping sites are overflowing,” he said. Present at the press conference were AAP councillors from the Central Zone: Sarika Chaudhary (Ward 142), Hema Shrichand Vohra (Ward 184), Pankaj Gupta (Ward 168), Rakesh Lohia (Ward 179), Bhaghveer Chaudhary (Ward 170), Kajal Singh (Ward 169), and Kusum (Ward 147).
Laying bare the farce behind BJP’s campaign in the press conference, MCD House LoP Ankush Narang stated that the Centre launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan while the MCD and Delhi Government joined hands to announce a “Mega Cleanliness Drive” in all 250 wards. But instead of actual cleanup work, the CM, Mayor, and Deputy Mayor visited already-clean areas for photo-ops and falsely projected the campaign as a success.
Holding up pictures of garbage-strewn roads in the Central Zone, Ankush Narang said: “Earlier, there were some vulnerable points. Now the BJP has turned the whole city into a vulnerable point. These images expose the truth of BJP’s so-called mega campaign. Even BJP-ruled wards are in a terrible state.”
He questioned the Mayor’s allegiance: “Is she the mayor of all 250 councillors or just the 117 BJP ones? Judging by the situation, she’s not even representing the BJP wards effectively.”
Ankush Narang said that of the 25 councillors in the Central Zone, seven are from AAP, two from Congress, and the rest from BJP. Yet, garbage is piling up across all 25 wards. “They claim vulnerable points are being eliminated, but they are actually multiplying. Roads are buried in filth. Mosquitoes and diseases are on the rise. The monsoon will only worsen the crisis. Will the BJP take responsibility for the resulting illnesses and deaths?” he asked.
Highlighting the failure of logistical planning, he revealed that where earlier each ward had 10–15 garbage tippers, now only 2–3 are operating. “How will garbage be lifted with just two tippers? Even if sanitation workers clean vulnerable points, the garbage won’t be removed if the vehicles don’t show up.”
Ankush Narang further said that every ward earlier had one Tata 407 vehicle for silt removal — now even those have been discontinued. “They will blame the lack of a Standing Committee for not issuing fresh tenders. But no tenders were floated even in the last three years. When AAP was in power for 2.5 years, this crisis didn’t exist. The BJP’s four-engine government only produces press releases, not results,” he said.
Ankush Narang concluded by saying that a five-day ultimatum has been given to Mayor Raja Iqbal via memorandum. “If things don’t improve in that time, we’ll launch a protest and dump garbage outside the mayor’s home. We demand that the Commissioner and Mayor immediately deploy tippers in all wards and restore cleanliness — the way AAP’s government used to ensure it.”
During the press conference, Ward 142 Councillor Sarika Chaudhary said, “The BJP came to power promising better governance. Their four-engine government has failed. My ward — one of the biggest in Delhi — used to get 15 tippers. That number has been cut to six and now only three. This includes high-profile areas like Pragati Maidan, Purana Qila, Humayun’s Tomb, and Rajghat. Even the Prime Minister and CM pass through these areas, but the garbage remains.”
Sarika Chaudhary added that Nizamuddin, home to an 800-year-old dargah and thousands of tourists, is overwhelmed with waste. “Residents are filing constant complaints. The tippers have been downsized, and those collecting household waste have been stopped altogether. Rain will spread garbage across streets and trigger disease outbreaks. I’ve written to the Mayor and Ankush Narang demanding urgent action. The Jal Board has cut water supply in Nizamuddin Basti on the MLA’s orders. Sewage is overflowing. The BJP is anti-Dalit, anti-Muslim, and anti-poor. If the Mayor does not act within two days, I will dump the ward’s garbage outside the homes of the Mayor, the CM, and the PM,” she said.
Pankaj Gupta, AAP Councillor from Ward 168 (Sangam Vihar), said, “I had faith that BJP’s tall promises, their Swachh Bharat rhetoric, and their four-engine governance would make Delhi cleaner. But ever since BJP took charge of the MCD, filth has only spread.”
