 "Poison in Yamuna? Kejriwal, BJP trade barbs ahead of Delhi polls 2025")
With just days to go before the Delhi Assembly election, the war of words between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified. Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accused the BJP of “mixing poison” into the city’s water supply in an alleged attempt to “create chaos and shift blame” to his administration.
Addressing reporters on Monday, Kejriwal claimed the BJP, which governs Haryana, deliberately polluted the Yamuna river. “The Haryana government has mixed poison in the water coming to Delhi from the Yamuna,” he said. “It is only due to the vigilance of Delhi Jal Board engineers that this water was stopped at the border and didn’t enter the city.”
Kejriwal likened the alleged act to wartime sabotage, accusing the BJP of risking Delhiites’ health for political gain. According to reports, the “poison” in question is ammonia, a recurring issue that has disrupted Delhi’s water supply in the past.
Delhi Jal Board CEO refutes claims
Amid these allegations, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) CEO dismissed Kejriwal’s statements as “false” and warned they could incite unnecessary fear. Delhi faces a daily water demand of over 3,000 million litres but receives only 2,000 million litres. High ammonia levels in the Yamuna have exacerbated this shortfall, a challenge AAP blames on Haryana’s mismanagement.
BJP hits back
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini called Kejriwal’s allegations “blatantly false and disgusting,” threatening legal action. “Kejriwal should apologise to the people of Haryana and Delhi for his statements. Otherwise, we will file a defamation suit,” Saini told news agency ANI.
Saini also accused Kejriwal of being a “disaster for Delhi” and predicted that voters would reject the AAP in the upcoming election. Labour Minister Anil Vij added, “Arvind Kejriwal is a factory of lies. Let journalists and experts check the water quality where the Yamuna enters Delhi and compare it with water in Delhi. The truth will be clear.”
Election Commission steps in
Amid the escalating feud, AAP leaders, including Delhi CM Atishi and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, met with the Election Commission, demanding an inquiry. The poll body has sought a detailed report from the Haryana government by January 28.
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Yamuna’s pollution and Delhi politics
The cleanliness of the Yamuna has always been a hot-button issue in Delhi politics. Ahead of the 2020 election, Kejriwal had promised to transform the polluted river into a clean, drinkable water source, likening it to London’s Thames.
However, this promise remains unfulfilled. Last week, Kejriwal candidly admitted his failure to deliver on three key promises: cleaning the Yamuna, providing clean drinking water, and upgrading Delhi’s roads to “European standards.”
“I either fulfil my promises or admit when I fall short. Cleaning the Yamuna is one of the promises I couldn’t keep,” he said at a rally in Laxmi Bai Nagar.
BJP’s jibes and AAP’s defence
The BJP has seized on Kejriwal’s admission. Union Home Minister Amit Shah mocked the AAP leader during a rally, saying, “He promised to purify the Yamuna and even take a dip in it. Delhiites are still waiting for his world-famous dip.”
Shah further suggested Kejriwal could take a dip in the Ganga during the Mahakumbh to “wash away his sins.” Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath also weighed in, accusing Kejriwal of turning the Yamuna into a “dirty drain.”
(With agency inputs)