Claiming that Delhi is facing an acute water shortage, former Union minister Vijay Goel Thursday challenged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to an open debate on the issue.
Goel, who staged an overnight dharna at the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) office, slammed the board for "failing" to supply water to the people in the national capital.
Refuting charges of DJB vice chairman and AAP MLA Dinesh Mohaniya, who had alleged that BJP protesters vandalised the board headquarters on Tuesday night, he said, "The reality is half of Delhi is facing an acute water crisis and the Kejriwal government is sleeping. Mohaniya is lying while the truth is that DJB officials failed to come up with any reply on our complaint."
Goel, Delhi BJP vice president and DJB member Jai Prakash, party MLA OP Sharma and several other BJP workers held a protest at the board office on Tuesday night.
"We were given a written assurance by the DJB CEO and a member of the board that the issues raised by us will be examined in detail and action will be taken accordingly. Mohaniya is lying because the DJB has failed in its duty to supply water, especially in unauthorised colonies," he said at a press conference here.
He also showed a video of the protest at the DJB office and presented samples of dirty water allegedly supplied by the board.
The BJP leader claimed that the people were falling sick as they were forced to consume such impure water.
However, AAP leaders, including Raghav Chadha and Mohaniya, had slammed the Delhi BJP of creating a drama over the issue in view of the assembly polls due early next year.
They said that 85 per cent of the city was receiving water while around 600 unauthorised colonies were provided piped water under the AAP government.
Meanwhile, Goel said that he will continue his protest against the "water shortage" in Delhi.
BJP MLA O P Sharma has asked Kejriwal to call a special session of the Delhi Assembly to find ways to address the water "crisis" in the city.
