What began as a photo-op boat ride for Delhi CM Rekha Gupta and Minister Parvesh Verma in Mehrauli turned into a scene of tragedy and outrage after BJP Mandal In-charge Kuldeep Nainwal drowned in the Yamuna River nearby — with no rescue attempt made by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) present at the site, which was occupied receiving the CM. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj and MLA Sanjeev Jha slammed the Chief Minister for “valuing publicity over people’s lives,” questioning why teams deployed for her reception failed to act as the incident unfolded.
Sharing two videos on X, AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “In one video, CM Rekha Gupta can be seen on a boat ride with Minister Parvesh Verma, while in the other, villagers are gathered on the riverbank after hearing about the drowning of the BJP leader. At the same spot in Mehrauli, where Minister Parvesh Verma posed for his photo-op, the man’s body was never found. When pollution in the Yamuna has not reduced, what was this event even for? Has the Chief Minister’s job been reduced to making videos? She spends the entire day making reels — when does she actually look at official files? Every day, videos of sweeping are shot, yet garbage lies scattered across Delhi.”
Taking strong exception to the government’s conduct, senior AAP leader and Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha said on X, “A heart-wrenching incident occurred at the Yamuna ghat. Former BJP Mandal President and current Mandal In-charge Kuldeep Nainwal drowned in the river. At that very moment, CM Rekha Gupta passed by the same ghat during her boat ride, but the NDRF team was busy preparing for her welcome instead of rescuing the drowning person.”
Highlighting the government’s apathy, Sanjeev Jha said, “Even after waiting for six hours, no official help arrived. Eventually, the family had to pay private divers to retrieve the body. The real question is — when the teams deployed for the Chief Minister’s security and reception are busy with photo-ops instead of saving citizens, what value does an ordinary person’s life hold? This incident exposes that for this government, publicity has replaced public service as the top priority. We pay our respects to Kuldeep Nainwal and demand that the government answer — was the Chief Minister’s ‘welcome ceremony’ more precious than a man’s life?”
A man who was present at the site and released the video of the incident said, “When someone is drowning in the river, do you bring a ladder to rescue them? Are divers supposed to jump in wearing just their undergarments without proper equipment? The so-called body search operation for Kuldeep Nainwal was a mockery. The news of his drowning came at 7 a.m., yet trained divers with oxygen cylinders didn’t arrive until 11 a.m. The fire brigade came and went. One boat was circling above the water — but what’s the use of looking for a man who had already drowned?”
