A day after former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP-led Haryana government of “poisoning” the Yamuna river, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini hit back, demanding an apology and threatening legal action. CM Saini warned Kejriwal to retract his statements or face a defamation suit.
The controversy erupted as Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday, alleging high ammonia levels in water supplied from Haryana to Delhi. The ECI has since directed the Haryana government to submit a factual report by Tuesday noon.
During his campaigning in poll-bound Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP-led Haryana government of contaminating the Yamuna river, which supplies water to Delhi.
“The BJP’s Haryana government has poisoned the water in Yamuna,” Kejriwal alleged. “The Delhi Jal Board was vigilant enough to stop that water from coming to Delhi, otherwise, it would have caused mass genocide in Delhi.”
Hitting back at Kejriwal, Haryana CM Saini dismissed the allegations as baseless. “Kejriwal has a habit of making unfounded claims and blaming others for his inefficiency and incapability to fulfill promises,” Saini said. He further accused Kejriwal of failing to ensure proper water distribution in Delhi, leaving residents dependent on contaminated water.
Saini also claimed that Kejriwal’s government had systematically diverted 28 drains into the Yamuna river. “I said that you (Kejriwal) send your Chief Secretary, and I will ask my Chief Secretary to check the quality of water at Sonipat from where the Yamuna enters Delhi. He talks about ammonia. He claims scarcity of water, but there is no scarcity. The issue lies in the distribution system,” Saini added.
With the matter escalating, the Election Commission has asked the Haryana government to provide a factual report on water quality levels.