"AAP avenging Delhi people for its loss in assembly polls": Parvesh Verma on Punjab-Haryana water issue

New Delhi [India], May 6 (ANI): Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma on Tuesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party Chief Arvind Kejriwal and the Punjab government of deliberately reducing the water supply to the national capital as an act of revenge following their electoral defeat in Delhi.
Speaking to the media, Verma, citing daily shortfalls from Haryana, claimed that Delhi has been receiving significantly less water over the past week, calling it a "conspiracy" against the people of Delhi.
"Delhi has been receiving less water for the last week because the Punjab government, former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, and AAP are avenging the people of Delhi for their loss in the Delhi elections. We used to receive 980 cusecs of water daily from Haryana. But on May 1, we received 88 cusecs less, on May 2, 119 cusecs less, and on May 3, 71 cusecs less. And yesterday, Delhi received 15 per cent less water," he said.
"AAP is angry with the people of Delhi as they have lost the election here, and hence, they are giving less water to Delhi. It is a conspiracy of Arvind Kejriwal, and people will not spare him for this dirty politics," Parvesh Verma said.
Amid the ongoing water dispute with Haryana, the special session of the Punjab assembly was convened on Monday.
Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal moved a resolution in the Punjab Legislative Assembly during a special session, vehemently opposing the Bhakra Beas Management Board's (BBMB) decision to release an additional 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana.
Declaring that "not a single drop of extra water" will be spared, Goyal accused the BBMB of acting as a "puppet of the BJP" and conspiring to undermine Punjab's water rights through illegal and unconstitutional means.
Punjab has reaffirmed its commitment to its voluntary allocation while firmly refusing Haryana's latest request for 8,500 cusecs from the Bhakra Beas system, arguing that the cited emergency has ended.
Senior Advocate Gurminder Singh Garry, representing Punjab in proceedings related to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, informed the court on Monday that repairs to the Western Yamuna Canal, which had initially justified the diversion, were completed by May 1, making the continued request for water baseless.
Reiterating that Punjab was committed to its voluntary allocation, Garry maintained that the state could not allow further diversion of its resources. "We are not backing out of our commitment. But there is no question of agreeing to 8,500 cusecs now. The alleged emergency is over. They are asking for irrigation water disguised as a crisis," he said.
He added that the original request from Haryana was due to temporary repairs on the Western Yamuna Canal (WYC), which had since been completed. "That was the emergency they had cited. Now the repair work is over. The water supply has resumed. Their own record before the BBMB shows that the additional water was only needed till May 1. That date has passed," advocate Garry said.
Garry also criticised BBMB for procedural violations, accusing it of calling emergency meetings with only 24-hour notice instead of the mandatory seven days under Rule 4 of the BBMB Transaction of Business Regulations. "Punjab raised objections as early as January 2025, warning of Haryana's consistent overdraws. Yet, BBMB failed to act," he submitted. (ANI)