The Lt. Governor, V.K. Saxena, caustically informed the outgoing Delhi chief minister Atishi, when she went to the Raj Bhawan to submit her resignation, that she had lost the Assembly elections because she was “cursed by Yamuna Maiya.”

Not only are the waters of the Yamuna toxic, thanks to the huge quantities of untreated sewage, industrial waste, and agricultural runoff being dumped in its waters, but it is shocking to hear a constitutional head of a Union Territory, who plays a crucial role in administration, greet a losing chief minister with such toxic language.

We all know a slew of factors led to AAP’s overwhelming defeat. The sharp deterioration of the capital’s environment was a contributory factor. Delhiites, by and large, are extremely upset with high levels of air pollution and the increased water quality deterioration of the Yamuna river. The lack of attention to both these issues proved a major minus for the Kejriwal government.

As a Delhiite, I would like to ask the Lt. Governor just how many press meets has the Minister of Environment, Bhupendra Yadav, held on both these crucial issues. Yadav is known to have spent most of his time working behind the scenes to boost the BJP’s electoral prospects for the Lok Sabha and state elections during the last two years.

The fact is that air pollution levels have risen drastically, and during the winter months, levels of air pollution from........

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