Union Home Minister Amit Shah adressing a Jan Sabha in support of party candidate at Rohini, in New Delhi on January 30, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
Union Home Minister Amit Shah Thursday (January 30, 2025) alleged that AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal allowed the Yamuna river to get polluted and forced the people of Delhi to drink its water.
“With people asking what happened to fulfilling his promise of making the Yamuna clean like the Thames river in London, Kejriwal is making an excuse by falsely accusing the BJP government in Haryana of mixing poison in the river,” Mr. Shah charged while addressing a public meeting in the Rohini Assembly constituency.

He termed Mr. Kejriwal’s accusation against the Haryana government “petty politics” and alleged the AAP government could not fulfil Mr. Kejriwal’s promise of cleaning the Yamuna during its 10-year rule due to “corruption”.
“Kejriwal says people from the BJP have mixed poison in the Yamuna to trouble the people of Delhi. I have come to tell Kejriwal that he should stop telling lies to win the election,” Mr. Shah told the gathering.
“Kejriwal, you polluted Yamuna and forced the people of Delhi to drink its water. And you offered all the money meant to be used in the cleaning of the river to AAP’s corruption,” he charged.
Mr. Shah alleged that the AAP supremo is resorting to such “petty politics” after sensing his party’s defeat in the upcoming Assembly polls. “They keep making excuses… Kejriwal ji, leave (Delhi for the BJP) if you cannot do anything. We will show how Delhi can be better governed,” he said.
Also read | Haryana CM sips Yamuna water, says no poison going to Delhi; Kejriwal hits back
The AAP means “lies and deception”, he said, alleging that its government failed to fulfil any of its promises. Kejriwal made entire Delhi a “kind of dustbin” during the 10-year rule of AAP, the senior BJP leader added.
Mr. Shah also raked up the issue of alleged corruption during 10 years of AAP’s rule in Delhi and alleged that scams worth crores of rupees were committed during its term under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal.
AAP leaders were put in jail for their involvement in the scams, he said in an apparent reference to the arrest of Kejriwal and others in the Delhi excise policy case.
“You talk about corruption. You committed liquor scam, Jal Board scam, ration distribution, DTC bus scam, classroom construction scam, panic button (buses) scam and built a ‘sheesh mahal’ for yourself worth Rs 52 crore,” he said.
The BJP often uses the ‘sheesh mahal’ jibe to attack Mr. Kejriwal with allegations of corruption in the renovation of the residence he used as the Delhi chief minister.

In an apparent potshot at Mr. Kejriwal, the Union home minister further said, “Such is the situation today that wherever he goes, he appears like a bottle of liquor to the people instead of a human being.”
Mr. Shah exhorted people to dislodge the AAP from power and give their mandate to the BJP to make Delhi the number one capital in the country. He said that BJP will make Delhi a beautiful and corruption-free city if it is voted to power.
“All garbage hills will be removed. City roads and lanes will be cleaned. There will be better water management in the city,” he said. “Strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hands and form a double-engine government (in Delhi) under the leadership of PM Modi”.
Campaigning for the BJP candidates, Mr. Shah also held a road show in Shalimar Bagh and held a public meeting in Wazirpur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address a poll rally at Deer Park on February 2, where the BJP’s allies are expected to be present.
Elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly will be held on February 5 and the votes counted on February 8.
Published – January 30, 2025 08:27 pm IST