Delhi BJP leaders and workers held a protest march on Friday from Shahidi Park in the central part of the city towards the secretariat over the water crisis in the national capital, demanding resignation from the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Water Minister Atishi.
Led by Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, the protesters carried placards and raised slogans against Kejriwal. Due to imposition of Section 144, Sachdeva and about 100 workers were taken to IP Estate Police Station from where they were released after some time after giving warning.
Sachdeva said that Delhi’s water crisis is not natural and has arisen due to the corruption and inaction of Kejriwal. “If the people of Delhi are yearning for every drop of water today, then the only person responsible for it is Arvind Kejriwal. After 2014, CLC was constructed by the Haryana government whose main objective was to stop the wastage of water and water should reach the people through a canal and at that time 1049 cusecs of water was given to Delhi by the Haryana government from the Munak canal. Then it was diverted by the Delhi government towards different channels of Bawana, Haiderpur, Dwarka and from here the game of corruption started. From 1 May to 29 May, the Haryana government has given 1049 cusecs of water to Delhi every day.”
He also attacked Atishi and stated, “She is talking about going to court but this is not the first time that the Delhi government will go to court regarding water shortage. The Kejriwal government has already gone to court in 2021 where the court reprimanded it and said that the Delhi government is getting enough water but the Kejriwal government has failed to stop the wastage of water. 53 per cent of Delhi’s water is stolen or wasted during supply. If all that water is stopped from being wasted, only then will the people of Delhi get enough water.”
While accusing the AAP MLAs, he alleged that they sell water through tankers and fill their pockets by stealing water. BJP candidate Bansuri Swaraj for New Delhi said that in this scorching heat, Delhi is crying for water. “The Delhi Jal Board which was in profit of Rs. 600 crore in 2,013 is in loss of Rs. 73,000 crore today. Kejriwal should answer this because this is such a useless government which is involved in corruption apart from propaganda and wants to encourage tanker mafia by creating water shortage. This dictatorship will not work and every BJP worker will keep fighting until Kejriwal answers it. If an all party meeting had been called in March and a water distribution action plan had been worked upon, then perhaps Delhi would not have been yearning for every drop of water.”
BJP candidate Praveen Khandelwal for Chandni Chowk said, “The water crisis in Delhi is only proof of Kejriwal’s failure and corruption. Kejriwal, who showed concern for water from inside the jail, used to write letters to mislead people, but after coming out of jail, instead of solving the water crisis, he went out for election campaign.
