Manoj Tiwari’s Yamuna Dip, Rijiju’s Swimming Challenge: Delhi Politics Goes Bollywood
Manoj Tiwari's Yamuna dip and Kiren Rijiju's swimming challenge turn Chhath politics into a spectacle as BJP and AAP trade charges over river pollution. (Image video grab)
By AMIT KUMAR
With Chhath approaching and the Poorvanchali vote back in focus, the Yamuna has become a political stage. Manoj Tiwari has supplied the Bhojpuri drama, Kiren Rijiju the sporting challenge and AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj the foam-filled counter-reels. The only thing missing is a river clean enough for the audience.
New Delhi, October 31, 2026 — If Delhi’s Yamuna could speak, it would probably ask for a little privacy. After decades of political neglect, it has now been turned into a swimming pool, a film set, a campaign stage and, apparently, a proposed venue for a sporting event.
The latest star attraction is BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, who took a dip in the Yamuna at Sonia Vihar, declared the river considerably cleaner and invited Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal to follow suit. The performance was apparently convincing enough for Union Minister Kiren Rijiju to suggest a swimming competition with Tiwari.
One can only hope that the organisers remember to arrange lifeguards, water-quality reports and, preferably, a separate category for political theatrics.
Tiwari, after all, is no stranger to performance. Before discovering the attractions of Delhi’s electoral geography, he had built a career as a Bhojpuri singer and actor. He knows his way around a camera, a dramatic pause, a folk tune and an audience. His film career gave him recognition, his songs gave him popularity, and politics gave him a considerably larger stage.
But the transition from Bhojpuri cinema to Delhi politics has produced an interesting genre of its own: the political music video. This time, instead of a film set, the backdrop is Sonia Vihar. Instead of a romantic song, the message is that the Yamuna is ready for Chhath. And instead of a co-star, the supporting cast includes the Prime Minister, the Delhi Chief Minister and, now, a Union Minister looking for a swimming partner.
The timing is hardly accidental. Chhath is not just another festival in Delhi. It is a major cultural and political moment for the city’s substantial Poorvanchali population. With the festival approaching, every political party wants to demonstrate that it understands the concerns, traditions and aspirations of this electorate.
For Tiwari, who has long been one of the BJP’s most recognisable Poorvanchali faces, the occasion offers an opportunity to reclaim centre stage. A dip in the Yamuna, a song, a camera and an invitation to political rivals: the ingredients of a ready-made campaign reel.
Meanwhile, AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj has been supplying the counter-programming. His regular videos of foam-covered Yamuna waters are a reminder that a photograph taken at Sonia Vihar cannot certify the health of the entire river. A day after Tiwari’s dip, thick foam was visible near Kalindi Kunj. The river, it seems, has developed a talent for contradicting political press releases.
The two parties are now engaged in a contest over geography, water quality and camera angles. BJP points towards a relatively cleaner upstream stretch; AAP points towards the polluted downstream sections. Somewhere between the two lies the Yamuna, still waiting for sewage treatment, scientific monitoring and a comprehensive clean-up.
But the most entertaining subplot may be Tiwari’s political positioning. Delhi’s BJP leadership has another potential opening on the horizon. Harsh Malhotra, currently Delhi BJP chief and a Union Minister of State, holds the distinction of being the capital’s sole representative in the Union Council of Ministers. If he eventually relinquishes his ministerial position, Delhi’s representation could become an issue in any reshuffle.
Could Tiwari be eyeing that space? There is no confirmation of such a move, but the MP certainly appears unwilling to miss an opportunity for visibility. A Cabinet berth would be a different kind of performance, with a considerably bigger green room.
For now, Rijiju has offered a swimming contest. Perhaps the next step is a televised debate, followed by a relay race involving the Delhi Chief Minister, the Water Minister and the former AAP chief minister.
The Yamuna deserves better than becoming a prop in an electoral talent show. Chhath devotees need clean water, not celebrity endorsements of a particular stretch of river.
And if the politicians insist on competing, let the rules be simple: no camera tricks, no selective ghats, no rehearsed speeches. Swim where the foam is. The winner gets the Yamuna cleaned; the losers get another five years to explain why it isn’t.
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