CM Nayab Singh Saini drinks Yamuna water near Delhi border

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Wednesday condemned former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for spreading fear among people for political gains, calling his statement unfortunate and irresponsible.

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He asked Kejriwal to apologise to the people of Delhi and Haryana for his remarks. Saini visited the Yamuna near Dahisara village on the Delhi-Haryana border, performed prayers, and drank the water to demonstrate its purity.

Responding to Kejriwal’s claim that the Haryana government was sending "poisoned" water, Saini clarified that samples taken by the Water Authority of India did not contain any toxic substances.

“Kejriwal has failed to fulfil the promises he made to Delhi’s residents over the last 10 years. By falsely claiming that Yamuna’s water is toxic, Kejriwal is creating fear and distress among people,” he said.

Citing the reports of the last four samples from the Pollution Control Board, Saini said Yamuna was found to be clean at Haryana’s border before entering Delhi.

"Haryana is sending clean water to Delhi, but when it returns to Haryana via Palwal and Faridabad, its condition worsens significantly," he said.

The CM further said the Centre had allocated over Rs 8,500 crore to the Delhi Government for water purification and sewage treatment in Delhi. Saini questioned where the money had gone.

He recalled how 10 years ago, Kejriwal stood near the Yamuna and promised to clean the sacred river, but no action was taken. He accused Kejriwal of consistently blaming Haryana — sometimes for stubble burning and other times for water pollution, without facts.

Spat it back into river, alleges Kejriwal

New Delhi: Former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was quick to respond to CM Saini drinking Yamuna water, alleging that Saini never drank the water, instead he spat it into the river.

"Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini pretended to drink Yamuna water... and then spat the same water back into the Yamuna. When I said Yamuna water could be dangerous for Delhiites due to ammonia contamination, they threatened to file an FIR against me. They want to make the people of Delhi drink the same poisonous water which they themselves cannot drink. I will never let this happen," Kejriwal said.

A senior Haryana government official told 'The Tribune', "A report of the past four months regarding the quality of water was sought from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board. After checking the latest report pertaining to January 28, it was revealed that the parameters were below detection limit.”