New Delhi: A war of words erupted Wednesday between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the quality of Yamuna water supplied to Delhi, with Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini mounting counterattack against his Delhi counterpart Atishi over her remarks.
Atishi had accused the Haryana government of sending ‘poisonous’ water to the national capital and challenged Saini to measure ammonia levels at Palla Ghat, the point where Yamuna enters Delhi from Haryana.
In a post on X, she invited the Haryana CM to visit the site with media personnel and verify the contamination levels.
“Nayab Saini ji, I have come to know that you are going to the Palla Ghat of Yamuna river. I request that you and I go together, take media colleagues along as well. We will measure the amount of ammonia in front of everyone. Everyone should know that Haryana is sending poisonous water to the people of Delhi,” Atishi wrote on X.
Reacting sharply, Saini dismissed Atishi’s allegations and accused her of spreading misinformation. “AAP-da’s wooden sandals (khadau) Chief Minister Atishi Marlena ji, you are welcome on the banks of Yamuna in Palla village. There is no poison in the water coming to Delhi from Haryana, but your minds are definitely filled with poison”, he said.
Saini further accused the AAP government of repeatedly blaming Haryana for its own failures. “Sometimes for water shortages, sometimes for the smoke from stubble burning, and sometimes for all your administrative failures, you always hold Haryana responsible,” he added.
Earlier, AAP convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had sounded the alarm over the deteriorating quality of Yamuna water, blaming the Haryana government for allegedly “poisoning” it. According to Kejriwal, the contamination levels in the water supplied from Haryana are so high that treatment plants in Delhi are unable to process it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Delhi Wednesday, also took a direct swipe at AAP over its allegations. PM Modi strongly refuted the claim that Haryana was contaminating Yamuna’s water and ridiculed the notion that the BJP-led state government would poison its own people.
“A former Delhi Chief Minister has made serious allegations against the people of Haryana. Out of fear of defeat, AAPda has lost its mental stability. Are Haryana’s people any different from Delhi? Don’t their families and relatives live here? Can they poison the water that their own families drink?” he questioned.
Mocking the claim further, PM Modi added, “This Prime Minister also drinks the same water. Foreign diplomats, ambassadors, and even Delhi’s poor drink the same water. Does AAP think the BJP government in Haryana would poison the water to kill Modi? What kind of absurd claim is this? Was there a conspiracy to poison the judges of this country as well? Delhiites, those who deliberately commit such sins are neither forgiven by Delhi nor by the nation.”
IANS
