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Watch | Haryana CM Nayab Saini drinks Yamuna water to counter Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘poisoning’ allegation

Nayab Saini drank the Yamuna river water as a counter to Arvind Kejriwal for his 'poisoning' comments, demanding that the former Delhi chief minister apologise to the people of Haryana and Delhi.

Nayab Saini takes a sip of water from the Yamuna River in Delhi. (Image credit: screengrab from video @ANI)

In a dramatic counter to Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s claim that the BJP government in Haryana was “poisoning” Delhi’s water supply, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini publicly drank water from the Yamuna river.

The act, captured in a one-minute video by news agency ANI, comes as tensions rise ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, with the Haryana government now planning legal action against Kejriwal over his comments.

In the clip, Saini is seen paying his respects to the Yamuna River in Delhi’s Palla Village before taking a sip and spitting it out. Then he took another sip and this time he drank it.

#WATCH | Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini takes a sip of water from the Yamuna River in Delhi’s Palla Village. pic.twitter.com/v1rkJXrcbQ

— ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2025

Saini’s act comes after he escalated his offensive against Kejriwal for his comments, demanding that the former Delhi chief minister apologise to the people of Haryana and Delhi.

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“Kejriwal has lost his mental balance seeing his possible defeat in the elections. He should seek an apology from the public of Delhi and Haryana immediately, or we will file a defamation suit against him,” Saini asserted saying the AAP convener has “insulted the land” where he was born.

Rejecting Kejriwal’s allegations, Saini questioned his claims regarding water contamination.

“Kejriwal said ‘the engineers of Delhi Jal Board stopped the (Yamuna) water from coming to Delhi because they came to know that there is a poison in the water.’ How did the engineers determine there was poison? Kejriwal should explain ‘what poison was added and in what quantity?’ If the water was actually poisonous, how many fishes died?” he asked.

Saini also questioned why would the residents poison the water when they worship the Yamuna river.

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The Election Commission has also stepped in, seeking proof from Kejriwal after BJP and Congress leaders lodged complaints over his remarks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also hit out at Kejriwal, calling his statements an insult to the people of Haryana.

“A former CM of Delhi has levelled disgusting allegations on people of Haryana. Due to fear of losing, people from ‘AAP-da’ have got rattled. Are people of Haryana different from those in Delhi? Can they poison the water their own people drink?” Modi said at a rally in Delhi, adding that Yamuna river’s water is consumed by everyone in Delhi, including him.

Delhi elections will be held on February 5 and results will be announced on February 8.

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