‘Will file defamation suit’: Haryana CM Saini on Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi’s ‘water terrorism’ remarks

Delhi assembly polls 2025: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is threatening legal action against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over its “water terrorism” accusations. Delhi's Chief Minister Atishi accused the BJP of deliberately polluting the Yamuna by dumping industrial waste straight into it, a move she termed 'water terrorism.' AAP's national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, claimed the BJP is attempting to poison Delhi's residents. BJP has now threatened legal action, with Haryana's Chief Minister, Nayab Singh Saini, demanding an apology and questioning the credibility of AAP's allegations. 

“Arvind Kejriwal should immediately apologise to the people of Haryana and Delhi for his statement, otherwise, we will file a defamation suit against him,” said Saini. 

“I want to ask Arvind Kejriwal on which day this happened. How did the engineers conclude that it was poisoned? He should tell what and how many tonnes of poison was added. How was the water stopped at the border? Was any gate built? Where was it built, how much time did it take and how much did it cost?... Where did the water that they stopped go? How many fish died due to this poisonous water? Arvind Kejriwal has once again proved that no one is compared to him when it comes to cheap politics... Kejriwal has today insulted the land where he was born. The people of Haryana consider Yamuna as a holy river and worship it. Why would the people of Haryana mix poison in the river water? Arvind Kejriwal promised in 2020 that if Yamuna is not cleaned, he would not come to ask for votes. He could not fulfil this promise and now he is misleading the people of Delhi,” said Saini.

Haryana CM Saini, separately, speaking to reporters in Chandigarh, insisted on a water quality check at Sonipat. He said he had asked the AAP government in Delhi for a 'chief secretary face-off' to inspect water quality near Delhi's gateway, Sonipat. “Anyone can check the water quality there,” he said. He also dismissed AAP's ammonia allegations, attributing water issues to Delhi's own water management problems rather than blaming Haryana.

As the war of words between the two parties escalated, the chief executive officer of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) refuted AAP's charges and called them 'baseless’. He emphasised that regular water check-ups are standard procedure. DJB's chief warns that such accusations might cause unnecessary public fear. 

Atishi had accused the BJP of disrupting Delhi’s water supply to influence election outcomes, referring to an ammonia level spike at 7.2 parts per million. 

Kejriwal warned that contaminated water could lead to severe public health hazards. "If people drink this water, the consequences could be dire," he stated.