AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal with Delhi CM Atishi
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday accused the ruling BJP in Haryana of "intentionally" draining industrial waste into the Yamuna that supplies water to the national capital, prompting AAP supremo Kejriwal to allege that the saffron party is trying to kill people by mixing "poison" in the river.
Hitting back at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said it is their old habit of blaming others and then running away.
"I asked them (the AAP government in Delhi) to send their chief secretary and said I will ask my chief secretary to check the quality of the water.... They are talking about ammonia, but there is no shortage of water," Saini told reporters.
At a press conference here, Atishi alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is "deliberately disrupting" Delhi's water supply as a "historic loss" awaits the saffron party in the upcoming Assembly polls in the capital.
"The bewildered BJP is resorting to tactics, such as stopping the water supply. Haryana is intentionally draining industrial waste into the Yamuna to harm the people of Delhi and influence the election outcome unfairly," she said.
The Delhi chief minister pointed out that the presence of ammonia in the Yamuna water has skyrocketed to 7.2 ppm, an unprecedented level, due to the discharge of industrial waste into the river.
Kejriwal alleged that the BJP is trying to keep the people of Delhi thirsty as it indulges in "dirty politics".
"BJP people in Haryana are mixing poison in the water and sending it to Delhi. If people in Delhi drink this water, many will die. Can anything be more disgusting than this? The poison that is being mixed in the water cannot even be cleaned in water treatment plants. For the safety of the people of Delhi, the water supply has to be stopped in many areas," he said in a post in Hindi on X.
The BJP wants to commit a "mass murder" of the people of Delhi but the AAP will not let that happen, he added.
He said alert Delhi Jal Board (DJB) engineers prevented the polluted water from entering the national capital. "Had that water entered Delhi and got mixed with drinking water, a mass genocide would occur," the former chief minister said.
He said around one-third of Delhi is facing a shortage of drinking water due to the development.
Accusing the BJP of indulging in "dirty politics", Kejriwal said those associated with the party are sending "poison-mixed" water to Delhi to trigger a "chaos" and blame the AAP for the deaths of people. Such actions, like use of biological weapons and mixing poison in rivers, have been heard in case of countries involved in a war, he added.
Atishi said, "I, along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, have sought an urgent meeting with the Election Commission to present these unfair practices before it." She alleged that by supplying "poisonous water" to Delhi, the BJP is jeopardising public health.
The Delhi Assembly polls are scheduled for February 5, with the results set to be announced on February 8. As the campaigning intensifies, allegations and counter-allegations add fuel to the capital's political atmosphere.
Delhi Assembly Election 2025 | The first of two state assembly polls this year sees a three-way contest between AAP, Congress, and BJP in the nation's capital. AAP decided to contest the polls alone, causing rumours of a rift in I.N.D.I.A. BJP, meanwhile, is hoping the liquor excise policy scam and pollution in Delhi will give the saffron party an edge over AAP. Kejriwal, on the other hand, has different plans with his demand for reservations for Delhi Jats. Congress will also be looking to make its presence felt and has not held back from attacking its own alliance partner. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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