NEW DELHI: “Biological warfare“, “mass murder”, “water terrorism”, “genocide” … Is Arvind Kejriwal‘s “poisoned Delhi’s water” salvo against BJP’s Haryana government a sign of desperation or is it a calculated risk to alter the direction of Delhi campaign by deflecting attention from opposition’s relentless attacks over allegations of corruption against him and his Aam Aadmi Party?
Kejriwal’s all-out offensive against the BJP-led Haryana government – accusing it of poisoning Delhi’s water – has taken the centrestage in Delhi’s campaign with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the charge against the AAP chief.
“A former CM has made malicious allegations against the people of Haryana. AAP-da people have become desperate due to the fear of defeat. Is Haryana different from Delhi? Don’t they have children and relatives in Delhi? Will they mix poison for their own people?” PM Modi said at a rally hitting out at Kejriwal.
“Can anyone think that to poison Modi, Haryana BJP has mixed poison in water? What are you saying? It is in Indians’ character to forgive mistakes but neither Delhi nor India forgives sins committed with ill-intention,” the Prime Minister added.
The Congress was also quick to join the charge with Rahul Gandhi throwing an open “drink Yamuna water” dare at Kejriwal. ” Five years ago, he (Kejriwal) had stated that he will take a bath in the Yamuna and drink its water. Five years have gone by and he did not do so. You have to drink dirty water but Kejriwal lives in ‘sheesh mahal’ which is worth crores and lies to you,” the former Congress chief said at a rally.
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, who had earlier said that Kejriwal has lost his mental balance as he stares at imminent defeat in Delhi, went a step further and visited the banks of the Yamuna River in Delhi’s Palla village and took a sip of water to counter the AAP chief’s accusations. Saini accused Kejriwal of attempts to “create fear in the minds of people” for political gain.
The Haryana government has announced to sue Kejriwal. “Kejriwal has made an irresponsible statement spreading panic among the people of Delhi and Haryana. Haryana government is going to get a case registered against him before CJM Court in Sonipat under the Disaster Management Act’s Sections 2 (D) and 54,” Haryana’s revenue and disaster management minister Vipul Goel said. The provision which Goel referred to regarding the Act pertains to anyone making or circulating a false alarm or warning as to disaster or its severity or magnitude, leading to panic.
Not just the Haryana government, even the Election Commission of India has put the AAP chief on notice.
On Tuesday, the EC had warned Kejriwal of the grave consequences he could face if he did not provide evidence to substantiate his allegations. The EC had asked Kejriwal to provide details of the nature and extent of the chemicals used for “poisoning” the Yamuna which could have killed people in large numbers, as claimed by the AAP chief. Kejriwal was also asked to share details of his claim that engineers of Delhi Jal Board had actually detected and prevented it on time.
Kejriwal has replied to the Election Commission. In his 14-page response, Kejriwal has said that his Yamuna water remark was in context of public health crisis due to drinking water quality in Delhi.
“The statements on Yamuna water were made to highlight severe toxicity, contamination of raw water received from Haryana,” Kejriwal has written in his reply. “Raw water received from Haryana recently was highly contaminated and extremely poisonous for human health,” he added.
Earlier, the AAP chief had said that he is not afraid of legal action and had asserted he would not let people die in Delhi because of the “dirty, poisonous water”. “They are threatening to file a case against me. They sent me to jail, will they hang me now?” he asked.
Kejriwal, who is now ready to play the martyr, would have surely anticipated much of these reactions before levelling such serious allegations against a neighbouring state government.
So, why did he precipitate the matter? Was AAP on a sticky wicket over corruption allegations?
Well, no one would have a definitive answer to that for now. But the BJP’s continued offensive against its government coupled with the sharp attacks from the Congress also seems to have put AAP under pressure.
AAP was definitely in the pole position to do well in the 2025 elections after decimating its political opponents not once, but twice in the last ten years. In 2015, AAP won 67 out of 70 Delhi assembly seats with a vote share of 54.3%. Five years later in 2020, AAP maintained its dominance winning 62 seats and polling 53.6% of votes.
But Kejriwal’s campaign for a hat trick of victories in Delhi has been marred by allegations of corruption that saw the AAP chief and most of his ministers go to jail. Kejriwal, who is out on bail, eventually resigned and handed over the reigns of his government to Atishi. Kejriwal, whose claim to fame was his simple and transparent politics, also faces charges of extravagance in renovating the CM’s bungalow, referred to by opposition as the “Sheesh Mahal.” Besides, AAP also faces anti-incumbency after being in power for 10 years on the trot.
While the issue of corruption and governance may have put the AAP on the backfoot, the Yamuna water pitch has allowed the party to go aggressive even at the cost of some legal action. Kejriwal, who has claimed that he is raising the water issue for the safety of people of Delhi, would not mind playing the martyr.