New Delhi:
After the first rains of the season on Friday, a political slugfest broke between the ruling BJP and AAP, beating Delhi, causing widespread waterlogging, traffic jams, flights delays, and a tragic house collapsed that claimed four lives.
While the AAP slammed the BJP’s “4-engine” for “unpublished”, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that the previous Arvind Kejriwal-led party rule overtaken a broken system.
CM Gupta said, “I want to thank God for this untimely rain today, which is an alarm for the entire system. It is not a day’s problem, but is the issue of development in Delhi in the last 10-15 years, the breakdown of the system and the backlog of administration.”
He excavated former Chief Minister Kejriwal, stating, “These cases would not have not reached Kejriwal’s ears as he used to enjoy sound-rich sleep in his head palace, ‘Thundrstar, broken trees and waterfall’. The AAP, which recently operated Delhi, held a press conference, accusing the BJP of failing to make adequate preparations for the monsoon despite the timely alert.
Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bhardwaj said, “Today, Delhi has seen its first rain and the whole city is submerged – roads, colonies, and underpass are all waterfalls. This is the reality of the ‘four -engine’ BJP government.” Mr. Bhardwaj said that the BJP now controls all the prominent citizens and infrastructure bodies in the city – Delhi Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Public Works Department (PWD), and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
“No more excuse. Is the agency under the Center or the state, they are all under BJP control,” he said.
“If a road is of NDMC, it is the responsibility of the Center. If it is under DDA, it is LG. If it is PWD or Flood Control Department, it is Delhi Government. And if it is of MCD, then BJP is responsible again. All four engines belong to BJP,” he said.
The AAP also questioned the performance of PWD, citing the earlier claims of Minister Parvesh Verma, saying that 445 waterlogging was near Hotspots in Delhi.
“Nevertheless, waterlogging happened today at 400 of those places. How many engineers have been suspended? The minister has not told us,” said Mr. Bhardwaj.
He demanded that the Delhi High Court compulsory – publicly public the third -party audit report on the mandate.
He said, “Today’s scenes clearly reveal that no real disillum was done, but crores can be spent. It looks like a scam,” he said.
AAP Leader and Leader of Opposition Atii shared views of flood artery roads near ITO and Dhaula Kuan on X.
#4_ engine_ki_ Bhajpa_Sarkar https://t.co/wpws4b8yik
– Airty (@atsyaap) 2 May, 2025
“Does this people of Delhi expect 4-engine BJP government?” He said, referring to BJP being in power at the center at the center at the center at Delhi, the majority in the MCD and LG reported to the Center.
He said that Waterlogging outside the ITO headquarters of PWD was the “civic failure” of the BJP.
Responding to the criticism, the BJP defended its performance and blamed the Kejriwal -led AAP government, which had happened earlier.
Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said in a statement, “During Arvind Kejriwal’s government, the ruling leaders will disappear during the crisis.”
“But after last night’s storm, Chief Minister, Minister, MLA, MLA, Mayor, Councilor, and even the BJP government MPs came out on the streets and ensured immediate cleanliness,” he said.
Sachdeva said that cleanliness and drainage workers and MCD started operations in the morning, with relief and medical efforts in Zafarpur Kalon, where four members of a family died when a tree fell at his house. “Our local BJP MLAs and councilors were on the ground to ensure help,” he said. Meanwhile, the PWD issued a detailed statement claiming that more than 90 percent of the waterlogging complaints were resolved within just two hours of rain.
The statement said, “PWD Minister Parvesh Verma inspected Minto Road and many other sites. Our teams worked overnight and used mobile pump units, super suction machines and vine-mouth cleaning squads.”
Mr. Verma said that under the BJP government, the system had become “accountable” in just two months.
“We are working with sins of the last 10 years. It will take time to clean it. But we have started. People have already started seeing the difference,” he said.
He said that the department was now focusing on long-term, permanent solutions and was periodically constructing a response system to manage urban floods.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red warning for Delhi after registering 77 mm of rain overnight.
At Indira Gandhi International Airport, the team led to a huge delay, with more than 200 flights in North India, in which it was operated by Air India.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)
