Chandigarh: Punjab Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said that despite its overdraft, Punjab has given Haryana too much water in the midst of the water conflict with Haryana. Sond argued that Punjab should retain the extra water for paddy agriculture and opposed its transfer.

Singh told the media that Haryana has already used 103% of its water allotment until March 2025, while it was supposed to be utilized by May 21. Rajasthan has also used 110%. We demand that any unused Punjab water stay in Punjab since we need a lot of it for the rice season, even if Punjab gave Haryana excess water despite its overdraw.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal was accused by Haryana BJP president Mohan Lal Badoli on Thursday of politicizing the drinking water problem and pressuring Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to deny Haryana additional water in retaliation for the AAP’s loss in the Delhi elections.

Badoli’s comments followed Chief Minister Mann’s Tuesday refusal to provide Haryana with more water and his accusation that the national government, headed by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), was pressuring the Punjab government to comply with Haryana’s demand. The Punjabi people will send the AAP a lesson for playing politics on water, Badoli said.

“They used to mislead people in the same way during the three months of summer when the AAP government was in Punjab and Delhi,” Haryana BJP chief Badoli told the media report. They used to make up stories about water scarcity. Arvind Kejriwal’s longstanding practice is to politicize issues like drinking water. Kejriwal encouraged Bhagwant Mann to make these remarks in an attempt to exact vengeance on the Delhi residents for their electoral defeat. The Punjabi people will give the AAP a lesson in this regard as well.

Parvesh Verma, a minister in Delhi, had earlier claimed that Punjab was purposefully cutting off water supplies to Delhi and Haryana in an effort to further its political agenda.

“The Punjab government has resorted to dirty politics by stopping the water supply to Haryana and Delhi,” Parvesh Verma said in a post on X. They intend to cause a water crisis in Delhi after losing there.

He further said that the Delhi administration is working tirelessly to guarantee that every home has access to clean water and charged Punjab with wanting “revenge” on Delhi’s citizens.

“The Punjab administration is attempting to exact vengeance on the Delhi residents in this manner, although we are working around the clock to provide clean water to every home in Delhi. If you don’t stop these shady politics, Punjab will also deport you.

At a time when the national capital is already dealing with rising heat and increasing water demand, the comments follow reports of decreased water supply to Delhi.