Prime Minister Narendra Modi waded into the escalating ‘Yamuna water war’ on Wednesday, countering Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s allegations of the Bharatiya Janata Party contaminating the water supply to the capital. Addressing an election rally in Ghonda, Modi asked, “Can BJP’s Haryana government poison the water the Prime Minister drinks?”
Terming Kejriwal’s allegations as “disgusting,” Modi also attacked AAP for failing to fulfill their promises on cleaning the Yamuna River. “They want Delhi to beg for water. AAP has sinned for political gains. History will never forgive them,” Modi said, claiming that the BJP was able to provide clean water to Delhi residents.
He targeted Kejriwal too. His allegations about the ammonia-contaminated water have drawn a challenge from the Election Commission, which has asked him to present his evidence by 8 PM. The Prime Minister implied the AAP is trying to create chaos out of fear of defeat in the Assembly election due soon, telling the crowd, “Haryana will never forget the insinuations.”
In a broader indictment of AAP governance, Modi added that successive governments of the Congress and then those of AAP also had failed to tackle issues relating to jams, roads, and pollution. He asked the electorates to see their votes as an opportunity for changing this state of affairs: “Your one vote can change the situation.”
The ‘Yamuna water war’ started after Kejriwal had claimed that the Haryana government was poisoning the water, stating high levels of ammonia.
As the dates of election are being scheduled on February 5 for Delhi, a fresh political fight on water supply-related issues begins to heat up in Delhi with a promise of free and reduced ‘inflated’ water bills if re-elected.
