Haryana CM ‘pretended’ to drink Yamuna water, says Arvind Kejriwal; Saini hits back

The remarks comes amid the AAP chief’s controversial remark that the BJP-led Haryana was “mixing poison” in Delhi water which is supplied through Yamuna and attempting “genocide”.

Kejriwal shared a video of Saini performing Achman (sipping holy river water) at Yamuna bank in Haryana on X.

“Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini pretended to drink Yamuna water… and then spat the same water back into the Yamuna. When I said that Yamuna water could be dangerous for the lives of Delhiites due to ammonia contamination, they threatened to file an FIR against me,” Kejriwal wrote.

ALSO READ | Arvind Kejriwal replies to Election Commission, says ‘Yamuna poisoning’ remark made in public interest

He alleged that they want to make Delhi people drink the same “poisonous water” which they themselves cannot consume. “I will never let this happen,” Kejriwal added.

Earlier, Saini shared his own video on X, saying, “Performed achman of holy Yamuna water at the Haryana-Delhi border without any hesitation or reluctance.”

The Haryana CM also slammed Kejriwal for his “poisoning” Yamuna water remark and said that such allegations reflect “narrow thinking”.

“We consider rivers as our mother, worship them but there are some people in this country who say that poison has been mixed in the rivers. These are people with different ideologies, they have their own thinking. They do not care about our culture and values…Some people even said that there was no Ram here,” Saini added.

ALSO READ | Haryana court summons Arvind Kejriwal on Feb 17 over ‘Yamuna poisoned’ claim

Meanwhile, Haryana revenue minister Vipul Goel said that the BJP administration in the state will get a case registered against Kejriwal over his “poison in Yamuna” remark.

Amid the tense and intensified campaigning for the Delhi assembly elections, the Election Commission took cognizance of Kejriwal’s remark on a complaint by the saffron party.

Kejriwal responded to the poll body’s notice and said that the raw water received from the state recently has been “highly contaminated and extremely poisonous” for human health.

He clarified that he made these comments in the context of an “urgent public health crisis” over drinking water quality in the national capital.

In the 14-page reply to the ECI, Arvind Kejriwal said the “alleged statements” attributed to him were made as his public duty to highlight the “severe toxicity and contamination” of raw water received from the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Haryana.

(with PTI inputs)