Arvind Kejriwal Accuses BJP of Mixing Poison in Yamuna River
AAP and BJP are clashing over claims of water pollution in the Yamuna River ahead of the 2025 Delhi elections, with both parties using the issue for political gains.
As the 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections approach, the ongoing political dispute over the water supply in Delhi has taken a new turn. On January 27, 2025, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of polluting the Yamuna River in Haryana, which supplies water to Delhi.
The Yamuna River, which flows from the Yamunotri glacier in Uttarakhand through Haryana and into Delhi, has been at the center of this controversy. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal accused the BJP government in Haryana of intentionally mixing harmful chemicals, or "poison," into the water coming to Delhi. Kejriwal claimed that this was done to harm Delhi’s water supply, to tarnish AAP’s reputation, and to influence the outcome of the elections.
Kejriwal even warned that this pollution could lead to "mass genocide" in Delhi. As a result, the Delhi government had to cut the water supply to some areas to prevent contaminated water from being distributed. Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann supported Kejriwal’s claims and wrote a joint letter to the Election Commission. The letter included reports that ammonia levels in the Yamuna had increased significantly, making the water unsafe for consumption and affecting the water filtration process at Delhi’s treatment plants.
However, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which is responsible for water supply in the city, denied these claims. DJB CEO Shilpa Shinde wrote a letter to the Delhi Chief Secretary, saying that the ammonia levels in the Yamuna river increase every winter between October and February, which is normal. She assured that the DJB was handling the situation and that the water quality would soon return to normal. Shinde criticized AAP's accusations, saying they were "factually incorrect" and were likely made to influence the upcoming election.
Despite this, Kejriwal continued his accusations, writing on social media, "If the people of Delhi are not voting for BJP, will you kill them by giving them water mixed with poison?" Atishi also criticized Shinde’s response, calling it a "desperate, last-minute reaction."
Meanwhile, BJP Delhi president Virendra Sachdeva accused Kejriwal of trying to scare voters to win the election. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini dismissed AAP's claims, saying it was a habit of the party to blame others. Saini even drank water from the Yamuna River to show that the water was safe and not poisoned. He challenged AAP to test the water in front of the Chief Secretaries of both Delhi and Haryana.
A court in Sonipat, Haryana, has summoned Arvind Kejriwal on February 17 to prove his claims that the BJP government is adding "poison" to the Yamuna water before it reaches Delhi. Kejriwal had promised to clean the Yamuna in 2015 and again in 2020, but these promises have not been fulfilled.
Home Minister Amit Shah also took a swipe at Kejriwal, saying that his promise to clean the Yamuna and take a dip in the river in front of the people of Delhi remained unfulfilled. The pollution in the Yamuna River is a serious concern, especially during events like Chhath Puja, when people continue to bathe in the polluted water despite videos showing foam and dirt floating on it.
The debate over the Yamuna’s pollution has become a political issue, with both AAP and BJP using it for election gains. While the water quality in Delhi remains questionable, no official steps have been taken yet to test or address the pollution in the Yamuna River.
As the election nears, the people of Delhi are left to wonder if the water crisis will be solved, or if it will continue to be a point of political conflict.
