Delhi’s tanker mafia getting support from those in power: Congress

Senior BJP leaders seek probe into water "loot" with alleged connivance of Delhi govt, while AAP, Congress blame each other.

The blame game over acute water shortage in the city continued on Wednesday, with the BJP accusing the AAP government of colluding with the tanker mafia and Water Minister Atishi levelling the same allegation against Delhi government bureaucrats. The Congress also weighed in on the issue, saying Delhi’s water mafia has been “getting support from those in power”.

Senior BJP leaders met the Delhi Police Commissioner seeking a probe into the “loot” of water with the alleged connivance of the Delhi government and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). Congress’s Delhi unit chief Devender Yadav blamed the Haryana government for allegedly preventing the water released by Himachal Pradesh from reaching the Capital but also took on the AAP government for not addressing the water shortage in time.

AAP and Congress fought the recently held Lok Sabha poll in Delhi together.

Lieutenant-Governor V.K. Saxena directed the police chief to increase vigil around the Munak canal to prevent water theft, based on a request by the Water Minister. Ms. Atishi had, in a letter, urged the L-G to order an investigation into the “potential collusion by senior officers in the Delhi government with the tanker mafia”.

A senior Raj Niwas official said, “They never came to the L-G seeking action in the case because the water mafia in Delhi operates under the direct patronage of AAP leaders.”

Later in the day, the Minister and Raj Niwas were involved in a spat on X. Ms. Atishi accused Raj Niwas of abusing her in a press release.

The L-G office responded, saying, “The L-G office has refuted your abuses for him and white lies with evidence and exposed your habit of misleading the people of Delhi.”