The row over former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s remarks on Yamuna pollution has picked up a lot of steam since Monday. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief had alleged that Haryana’s BJP government had ‘poisoned’ the Yamuna water supplied to Delhi, leading to potential harm to people of the city.
Kejriwal has also said that the Haryana government is doing so so that ‘people die and blame comes to AAP’.
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday warned of filing a defamation suit against Arvind Kejriwal over his remarks against his government.
“For these blatantly false and disgusting statements, Kejriwal should immediately apologise to the people of Haryana and Delhi for this statement, otherwise, we will file a defamation suit against him,” Saini told news agency ANI.
Saini also said that Kejriwal has “become ‘Aapda’ for Delhi” and that in the state elections, with the “blessings of the people of Delhi, BJP will free Delhi from this ‘Aapda’.”
On Monday, Haryana CM had refuted the claims of water scarcity, saying that there was an issue in the distribution system since he failed to manage it for 10 years.
“It is his habit and thinking to allege and then run away. I said that you (Arvind Kejriwal) send your chief secretary and I will ask my chief secretary to check the quality of water at Sonipat from where it is entering Delhi. He talks about Ammonia. He claims scarcity of water – but there is no scarcity; there is an issue in the distribution system. He cannot manage the distribution of water in 10 years – even though he promised it from the stage, still people are getting polluted water… He should work instead of making allegations. The people of Delhi have made up their minds and they will teach him a lesson,” Saini had said.
#WATCH | Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini says, “It is his (Arvind Kejriwal) habit and thinking to allege and then run away… I said that you (Arvind Kejriwal) sent your chief secretary and I will ask my chief secretary to check the quality of water at Sonipat from where it (Yamuna)… https://t.co/BeFd9d8c5Z pic.twitter.com/a9giLDeKPj
— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2025
Who said what on Kejriwal’s ‘poison’ in Yamuna claim
Haryana minister Anil Vij also responded to Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘poison’ in Yamuna claims, calling him ‘a factory of life’s. He asked the journalists to check the quality of water where it enters Delhi and then check the water in Delhi.
“They will see the difference.Its not our job to clean the river in Delhi, it was Arvind Kejriwal’s job, which he could not do,” Vij said.
#WATCH | Chandigarh: Haryana Minister Anil Vij says, “Arvind Kejriwal is a factory of lies… Take all journalists and analysts to the place where Yamuna enters Delhi and check the quality of water, and then check the quality of water in Delhi. They will see the difference. Its… pic.twitter.com/bJiJtaPLXj
— ANI (@ANI) January 27, 2025
Meanwhile, Delhi Jal Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shilpa Shinde on Monday wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary, stating that the statements made by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal were “factually incorrect.”
Later, Delhi CM Atishi, alleged that the letter from the DJB CEO to the Chief Secretary was the result of pressure exerted by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
“When AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and I exposed the BJP’s conspiracy regarding poisonous water, BJP through LG put pressure on the officials of Delhi government and made CEO Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to write a letter and release it,” Atishi said.
She asserted that the letter from the Delhi Jal Board inadvertently revealed the truth, stating that water treatment plants can treat water with up to 1 ppm ammonia. Additionally, the water can be treated if the ammonia levels reach 2.5 ppm through the process of dilution. However, Atishi noted that the ammonia levels in the Yamuna River water had reached 6.5 ppm, which is six times higher than the acceptable limit.
