"If I had given such statement, you know what would've happened to me": Waris Pathan on Raj Thackeray's remarks

"If I had given such a statement, they would have announced me as an anti-national and anti-Hindu. He (Raj Thackeray) said he would not touch the water of Kumbh as people are falling ill due to that water. Now, what action is the BJP government taking against him? They will not do anything. If I had said this, you know what would have happened to me," Pathan said.

A controversy erupted after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday raised questions about the cleanliness of the River Ganga and said that "despite calling our rivers 'mother,' we fail to keep them clean."

Addressing thousands of party workers on the occasion of the party's 19th foundation day, the MNS chief said that his party leader, Bala Nandgaonkar, had brought holy water from the Prayagraj's Maha Kumbh, but he refused to drink it.

Thackeray's remarks came after opposition leaders slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for reports of contaminated water at the Maha Kumbh.

However, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath clarified that the water quality at the Sangam in Prayagraj was safe for bathing and drinking holy water, putting the controversy to rest.

Meanwhile, a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has concluded that the Ganga's water quality during the recently concluded Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj was fit for bathing. However, the CPCB noted significant "variability in data" in water quality samples collected from the exact locations on different dates and from different locations on the same day.

The report, dated February 28 and uploaded on the NGT's website on March 7, stated: "As per statistical analysis, the water quality during the bathing days of Maha Kumbh 2025 at monitoring locations in River Ganga and River Yamuna in Prayagraj was fit for bathing under Primary Water Quality Criteria." (ANI)