Amidst the ongoing controversy over Yamuna river, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday drank water from Yamuna near Delhi-Haryana border and slammed AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal for “spreading lies”.
“I drank the water of the holy Yamuna on the border of Haryana without any hesitation. Kejriwal has blatantly lied. Even I'm having relatives in Delhi. The AAP convener should immediately tender an apology,” the chief minister said.
A senior official said that CM Saini visited Dahisara village in Sonepat district from where the Yamuna passes to Delhi at Pallaghat.
Sharing the Chief Minister's video, Kejriwal in a post said Saini "pretended" to drink the water and actually spat it back into the river. "They want to make the people of Delhi drink the same poisonous water which they themselves cannot drink. I will never let this happen," Kejriwal wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Saini accused Kejriwal of having lied "all his life", and claimed that water from the Yamuna was sent for testing and no poison was found.
Saini said he comes from the holy land of Haryana, where Lord Krishna had preached for the welfare of humanity.
"I want to tell Kejriwal that it is our holy Yamuna, in which Kalia Naag (a mythical serpent) used to spread poison and Lord Krishna finished him off," he said, accusing the AAP national convenor of blemishing Haryana, where he was born.
The AAP has complained to the Election Commission (EC) over the issue and the chief ministers of the party-ruled Delhi and Punjab, Atishi and Bhagwant Mann, have met the officials of the poll panel.
"Nobody thought Kejriwal would stoop so low. I have my family and home in Delhi. I have the blessings of Delhi's people. How can I provide them with water mixed with poison?" Saini asked the gathering.
Slamming the AAP supremo, he said, "What has happened to his mentality and what is he trying to prove? Kejriwal, you are going to be ousted in the upcoming election. People have made up their mind about it." Saini also alleged that Punjab has stopped the supply of water meant for farmers in Haryana.
Kejriwal, who had promised that he would get the Yamuna cleaned, is again asking Delhiites for five more years to remove pollutants from the river, despite the AAP being in power for in Delhi 10 years, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that fearing their defeat in the Delhi polls, "AAP-da people" have turned desperate.
Addressing a public meeting in Kartar Nagar here in the run-up to the February 5 assembly polls, he also likened AAP leaders to serial killer Charles Sobhraj, who gained notoriety for duping people.
"Those who built 'sheesh mahal' and those who looted public money worth thousands of crores of rupees can never think of the welfare of the poor. That is why they are spreading lies in Delhi. These AAP-da people speak lies with such innocence that people get trapped," Modi said.
"You may have heard of Charles Sobhraj. He was a known thug, but he was such an expert at duping people with innocence that every time people would get duped by him. That is why one has to remain cautious of such people," he said.
Delhi has made it clear that now excuses, fake promises as well as "loot and lies" of the "AAP-da" government will not work, Modi said as he made a fervent appeal to voters to give him a chance to serve after 25 years of Congress and AAP governments.
