Haryana CM drinks Yamuna water

A Sonipat court in Haryana on Wednesday issued notice to former Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal over a plea regarding his remarks accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "poisoning" the Yamuna river. Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Goyal sought a reply from Kejriwal and asked him to appear in person before the Court on February 17. The Court was hearing a complaint filed by State of Haryana through the State Disaster Management Authority against Kejriwal under Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The complaint alleged that Kejriwal spread misinformation and caused panic among the residents of Delhi and Haryana with his "Yamuna Poisoned" remark. The complainant Ashish Kaushik, an Executive Engineer in Water Services Division, assured the crowd that the claims made in the viral video were entirely false and that no such incident had occurred.

Amidst the ongoing controversy over Yamuna river, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday drank water from Yamuna in Palla village near Delhi-Haryana border, in a sharp response to the grave allegations made by AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal regarding BJP "poisoning the Yamuna waters. Saini alongwith senior officials visited Point No. 4 of the Yamuna River near Dahisara village at the Delhi-Haryana border, performed prayers, and drank Yamuna's water to demonstrate its purity. The Haryanan CM refuted Kejriwal’s allegations that the BJP-led Haryana government had poisoned the Yamuna, calling the statement an attempt to create fear for political gain. A video of the Haryana CM taking a sip of water from the sacred river has been shared on social media. In the video, Saini stands at the riverbank as he takes a sip of water.

Speaking after drinking the water, Saini said, “An unfortunate statement by Arvind Kejriwal was given to create fear in the minds of people for his political benefits. Today, I have come here to the banks of River Yamuna and took a sip of water from Yamuna” 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. He slammed AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal for “spreading lies”.

Saini said that Kejriwal must apologize for his misleading statements. He accused Kejriwal of consistently blaming Haryana sometimes for stubble burning, sometimes for water pollution without any factual basis.