NEW DELHI: Claiming that “mismanagement” by AAP-led Delhi government was responsible for the water crisis in the city, the Delhi-unit of BJP on Monday staged demonstrations across more than 50 locations.
Led by BJP president Virendra Sachdeva along with newly elected Members of Parliament, the protestors carried bottles of dirty water, raised slogans against the AAP government and smashed earthen pitchers to register their agitation against the ruling AAP
Several parts of the national capital have suffered from acute water shortages for the past days, with BJP and AAP regularly trading barbs over the deepening crisis. People, particularly in resettlement colonies and slums, could be seen every day waiting in long queues and running behind water tankers to fulfil their daily requirements.
Addressing the party workers at Krishna Nagar, Sachdeva said that AAP legislators have turned water into a business, regardless of whether the people of Delhi get water or not, as they provide a shield to the water mafia. “Arvind Kejriwal and his government are solely responsible if Delhiites are not getting water today,” the Delhi BJP chief said.
He said that if water theft and leakage are stopped in Delhi, every resident will get sufficient water. However, “AAP legislators have no sympathy for the people of Delhi; they only care about their hefty earnings.” At the Jal Board office in Mukherjee Nagar, Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari said that all departments of the Delhi government are mired in corruption, with the Jal Board being the epicentre.
“The MLA’s office is running inside the Jal Board. It seems Atishi has become the water minister just to sell water to tanker mafias. We will continue to fight for justice for the people of Delhi,” Tiwari said.
South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri joined the protestors at Khanpur and slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Bidhuri said Kejriwal promised to bring 150 MGD of water from Muradnagar through pipelines, but it still needs to be done. “The Kejriwal government has not built a single water treatment plant,” he said.
New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj led the protest at Moti Nagar. “The crumbling pipelines and the decade-long AAP government have forced people to take to the streets for water. Atishi should address the shortcomings instead of holding press conferences,” she said.