Tue Jan 28 12:14:15 UTC 2025: ## AAP Accuses BJP of Water Terrorism, Congress Demands EC Action

**New Delhi** – A major political row erupted in Delhi on Tuesday, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of poisoning the Yamuna River to contaminate Delhi’s water supply. The allegations, vehemently denied by the BJP, have escalated into a multi-party conflict involving the Election Commission of India (ECI).

AAP leaders, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, filed complaints with the ECI, citing dangerously high ammonia levels in the Yamuna where it enters Delhi from Haryana. Kejriwal dramatically claimed the BJP, through the Haryana government, had engaged in an unprecedented act of “water terrorism,” aimed at sabotaging the upcoming Delhi elections. He credited the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) with preventing a major health crisis. However, the DJB refuted Kejriwal’s claims.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and other BJP leaders strongly condemned the accusations, calling them “blatantly false” and threatening legal action against Kejriwal.

The Congress party, while not explicitly siding with either party, added to the turmoil. A Congress delegation met the ECI demanding action against either the AAP, if their claims are false, or the BJP if true. This move, surprising given the AAP’s position in the opposition INDIA bloc, was interpreted by some as an attempt to exploit the controversy. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit expressed surprise at the lack of police action against Kejriwal.

The controversy highlights the AAP’s failure to meet its 2020 election promise of cleaning the Yamuna and providing clean drinking water to Delhi. Kejriwal himself recently admitted to failing to fulfill this pledge, a fact the BJP has relentlessly exploited. Union Home Minister Amit Shah even challenged Kejriwal to take a dip in the Yamuna, echoing previous dares from other BJP leaders.

A Delhi Pollution Control Committee report from October 2023 further fueled the debate, highlighting delays in several river cleaning projects, including those overseen by the DJB. The ongoing dispute is likely to dominate Delhi’s political landscape in the run-up to the elections.

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