Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], May 1 : Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli on Thursday accused Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal of politicising the drinking water issue and instigating Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to deny more water to Haryana to avenge AAP's defeat in the Delhi elections.
Badoli's remarks came after Chief Minister Mann on Tuesday refused to release more water to Haryana and accused the BJP-led central government of exerting pressure on the Punjab government through the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to meet Haryana's demand.
Badoli warned AAP that the people of Punjab will teach them a lesson for doing politics on water.
Speaking to ANI, Haryana BJP president Badoli said, "When the AAP government was in Punjab and Delhi, they used to misguide people the same way during the three months of summer. They used to lie, claiming a shortage of water. Politicising a matter like drinking water is Arvind Kejriwal's old habit... To take revenge on the people of Delhi for their loss in the elections, Kejriwal instigated Bhagwant Mann to make such statements. For this, too, the people of Punjab will teach AAP a lesson."
Earlier today, Delhi minister Parvesh Sahib Singh alleged that Punjab is deliberately blocking water supply to both Haryana and Delhi in a politically motivated move.
In a post on X, Parvesh Singh said, "The Punjab government has resorted to dirty politics by stopping the water supply to Haryana and Delhi. After losing in Delhi, now they want to create a water crisis in Delhi."
He further asserted that the Delhi government is making continuous efforts to ensure clean water reaches every household and accused Punjab of seeking "revenge" on Delhi's residents.
"We are working day and night to provide clean water to every household in Delhi and now the Punjab government wants to take revenge on the people of Delhi in this way. Stop this dirty politics or else you will be expelled from Punjab as well."
The remarks come amid reports of reduced water flow to Delhi at a time when the national capital is already facing rising temperatures and growing demand for water.
Earlier, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini lashed out at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann after he refused the release of more water to Haryana and accused Mann of trying to "politicise" the issue. Saini also clarified that Haryana had not received its full share of water, but only 60 per cent.
"He is trying to politicise this issue. I would like to clarify that the SYL (Sutlej-Yamuna Link) canal matter is under the supervision of the Supreme Court. But this issue is not about SYL's water. It is about the issue of drinking water... Haryana has not yet received its full share. In the last week, Haryana received only 4,000 cusecs of drinking water, which is approximately 60 per cent of the state's total demand. If BBMB (Bhakra Beas Management Board) provides the remaining water per Haryana's demand, it will be only 0.0001 per cent of Bhakra Dam's water reservoir," Saini said, speaking to the mediapersons on Wednesday.
Saini also stated that after the AAP lost the elections in Delhi, Bhagwant Mann was acting to punish the people of Delhi.