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Arvind Kejriwal’s Yamuna gamble backfires? How INDIA bloc ally, PM Modi, Haryana cornered AAP leader
Arvind Kejriwal's allegations of Yamuna poisoning spark a political firestorm, drawing criticism from Haryana leaders and Prime Minister Modi.
With Delhi's high-stakes assembly election set for February 5, the political battleground is heating up, and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal finds himself at the centre of a major controversy over his ‘Yamuna poisoning’ claim against the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Haryana government.
The issue erupted when Arvind Kejriwal while campaigning for the polls, accused the Haryana government of deliberately releasing industrial waste into the Yamuna.
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He went a step further, alleging that the Haryana leadership was “mixing poison” in the river to harm people—a claim echoed by his party leaders, including Delhi chief minister Atishi.
Kejriwal's Yamuna salvo backfired?
The controversy over Arvind Kejriwal's statement soon snowballed into a major political slugfest, with leaders such as Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, an ally of the INDIA bloc along with the AAP and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi hitting back at him.
On Tuesday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) asked the former Delhi chief to provide factual evidence to substantiate his allegation against Yamuna poisoning.
PM Modi hits back at Kejriwal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday also weighed in on the controversy, saying the water sent by Haryana is consumed by everyone living in Delhi, including him.
Also Read | Arvind Kejriwal to be booked? Haryana plans action over ‘Yamuna poisoned’ claim
“A former CM of Delhi has levelled disgusting allegations on people of Haryana. Due to fear of losing, people from 'aapka' have got rattled. Are people of Haryana different from those in Delhi? Are relatives of those living in Haryana not residing in Delhi? Can the people of Haryana poison the water their own people drink? The water sent by Haryana is consumed by everyone living in Delhi, which also includes this Prime Minister,” Modi said at a rally in Delhi's Kartar Nagar.
Haryana CM Saini sips Yamuna water
Kejriwal’s allegations were quickly dismissed by Haryana’s chief minister, Nayab Singh Saini, who on Wednesday responded by drinking water from the Yamuna himself in a bid to debunk the claim.
Saini also claimed that the water resource authority tested the water samples and found them to be contamination-free.
Rahul Gandhi says 'Kejriwal gives false statement'
Rahul Gandhi also slammed Kejriwal’s comments, accusing him of “giving false statements”.
"Five years ago, Arvind Kejriwal said that he would take a bath in the Yamuna River and drink the water of the Yamuna River. It has been five years, and to date, Kejriwal ji has not drunk the water of Yamuna. You have to drink dirty water, but Kejriwal ji lives in a 'Sheesh Mahal'. He lives in a house worth crores of rupees. He drinks clean water and gives you false statements," Rahul Gandhi was quoted as saying ANI.
Dhami, Himanta slam Kejriwal over Yamuna issue
BJP leaders, including Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, also slammed Kejriwal over his 'poisoning' remark.
"When Yamuna flows from Uttrakhand, the water is clean and pure... But when it comes to Delhi it is all dirty...and the work to make it dirty is done by Arvind Kejriwal's government, for the last 10 years, he kept on saying that he would clean the water but never fulfilled the promise," Dhami said.
Also Read | ‘Himmat hai toh…’: Congress challenges Arvind Kejriwal on Delhi CAG reports
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma lashed out at Kejriwal over his "poisoned water" remark and criticised him for speaking ill about his own home state.
"He (Arvind Kejriwal) had said he would not contest elections until the Yamuna is cleaned. Will he be able to take a dip in Yamuna? Can one drink Yamuna's water?" Sarma said at a public rally in Uttam Nagar assembly constituency.
Delhi elections and Yamuna
Yamuna River pollution, a significant concern for Delhiites, is a prominent issue in the political landscape of the national capital.
With the river being heavily polluted for years and the ruling AAP failing to clean it by 2025, something Kejriwal himself admitted in recent times, opposition parties have seized on the concerns of Delhi voters frustrated by the health risks posed by the polluted water.
'Ammonia is poison': AAP's maintains its stance
AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar alleged that the prime minister was playing politics on a sensitive issue like Yamuna water.
"Ammonia is poison, it is unfit for consumption and dangerous for the human body. This Haryana government, this BJP government is so vindictive that after seeing its historic defeat in Delhi, it is now bent on such activities that if the people of Delhi fall sick, the blame will fall on Arvind Kejriwal. But our vigilant engineers stopped that poisonous water right there and did not let it mix with Delhi's water. Strict steps are needed on this. There should be an inquiry," she added.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal, while talking to India Today, maintained that the Yamuna water in Delhi had a hazardous level of ammonia at 7 parts per million (PPM).
