Despite tall claims and promises of “proper management” by CM Rekha Gupta and PWD Minister Parvesh Verma, even a brief spell of rain on Tuesday morning was enough to bring the national capital to a standstill. Waterlogging inundated not just the inner streets but also the city’s most posh localities—exposing once again the complete failure of BJP’s so-called ‘four-engine’ governments to deliver even basic civic infrastructure.
Sharing a clip of severely waterlogged roads of Connaught Place, AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal took to ‘X’ and wrote: “When this is the condition of Connaught Place, the heart of Delhi, it’s not hard to imagine the state of the rest of Delhi. Just 10 minutes of rain and the roads have turned into ponds. In 5 months, where has the BJP brought Delhi to? Is this the speed of the ‘four-engine’ government?”
Videos of flooded roads and choked drains across Delhi were widely shared by AAP leaders, including Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Atishi, who tore into the BJP for turning waterlogging into a daily affair under its misgovernance.
Just days after Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena and PWD Minister Parvesh Verma publicly congratulated each other for their so-called efforts to prevent waterlogging at ITO, the same stretch was submerged once again after a brief spell of rain on Tuesday morning. AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj wasted no time in sarcastically congratulating them on social media by sharing a video of the flooded ITO junction. “This is ITO. On July 9, LG and PWD Minister had come here to inspect anti-waterlogging work and patted each other’s backs. Now that it’s flooded again, please accept my congratulations too,” he remarked.
Saurabh Bharadwaj didn’t stop there. He posted videos from across Delhi — Connaught Place, the Tibetan Market on Janpath Road just 200 metres from Minister Parvesh Verma’s residence, and even the RML Hospital under the Centre’s jurisdiction. Sharing visuals of stagnant water in RML’s gallery, he wrote, “This is RML Hospital — a prestigious institution of the central government. The Centre has ruled for 11 years, the entire area is under their control. Do they still need more time? What excuse will they give now?”
Delhi Assembly LoP, Atishi, also launched a scathing critique of the BJP governments after witnessing widespread waterlogging across the city following just a few minutes of rain. “This is Delhi after 10 minutes of rain. This is the miracle of the BJP’s four-engine government. Where is PWD Minister Parvesh Verma? What is CM Rekha Gupta doing?” she asked in a post, noting that even Civil Lines — home to both the LG and CM — was waterlogged.
Atishi posted videos from across the capital, including Panchkuian Road, Kamla Nagar Market, Sadar Bazar, Bhajanpura, Ambedkar Stadium near Delhi Gate, Pragati Maidan, Moti Bagh, Deoli, Patel Nagar, Feroz Shah Road in Lutyens’ Delhi, NDMC areas, Kinari Bazar in Chandni Chowk, Zakheera underpass, and even roads in front of MPs’ residences in New Delhi. The visual evidence, she said, proves the utter failure of the BJP governments — in MCD, PWD, Centre, and LG — to deliver even the most basic civic services.l, including Panchkuian Road, Kamla Nagar Market, Sadar Bazar, Bhajanpura, Ambedkar Stadium near Delhi Gate, Pragati Maidan, Moti Bagh, Deoli, Patel Nagar, Feroz Shah Road in Lutyens’ Delhi, NDMC areas, Kinari Bazar in Chandni Chowk, Zakheera underpass, and even roads in front of MPs’ residences in New Delhi. The visual evidence, she said, proves the utter failure of the BJP governments — in MCD, PWD, Centre, and LG — to deliver even the most basic civic services.
