Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma on Tuesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Punjab Government of orchestrating an artificial water crisis in the national capital as political revenge for their defeat in the recent elections.

Terming the situation a “calculated attack on the people of Delhi,” Verma alleged that the water shortage is not due to natural causes but a deliberate act meant to punish voters.

Verma claimed that over the past week, Delhi has received significantly less water than its standard share from Haryana, which supplies water to the Capital via the Yamuna. He alleged that the reason behind the reduction is the AAP-led Punjab Government’s move to curtail water released from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), which directly supplies water to Haryana.

This is neither a drought, nor a technical glitch. This is political punishment,” Verma said, adding that Delhi is being targeted by a party that once ruled it.

According to Verma, Delhi is supposed to receive 980 cusecs of water per day from Haryana. However, the supply has dropped steadily over the last five days – 88 cusecs short on May 1, 119 on May 2, 71 on May 3, 55 on May 4 and 130 on May 5 — totalling a deficit of 463 cusecs. He said this shortage was already affecting lakhs of households.

The minister questioned the silence of Delhi’s AAP leadership, including Arvind Kejriwal, on the issue. “Why Kejriwal is not raising his voice? This conspiracy has his approval,” Verma said.