BJP accuses AAP of backing water mafia, threatens protest

BJP leader and South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri accused office-bearers of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of running a water mafia in Bijwasan, allegedly backed by local MLA Bhupinder Singh Joon. Bidhuri threatened to hold protests outside Chief Minister Atishi’s residence if immediate action was not taken against the alleged mafia.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Bidhuri alleged, “AAP’s Bijwasan Mandal president Arun Sharma, along with other officials, is actively involved in illegal borewell drilling to sustain tanker mafias. This exploitation forces residents to buy water due to the absence of Delhi Jal Board supplies in many areas, including Kapashera.”

The BJP leader further stated that BJP workers exposed one such operation on the night of November 9-10, when Sharma and his associates were reportedly drilling a borewell in violation of National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines. "When residents protested, they were attacked," he said.

Bijwasan councillor Jaiveer Rana, who was allegedly injured in the scuffle, added, “There are only two authorised borewells in the area, but illegal borewells have been set up using fake papers. These operations support tanker mafias, making residents dependent on them for water.”

Rana said when he questioned Sharma about permission for the borewell, Sharma argued with him and then allegedly attacked him along with his associates. An FIR was registered in this connection. Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor claimed that such water mafias were rampant across constituencies in South and West Delhi, operating under the protection of AAP MLAs. “One such example is MLA Prakash Jarwal, who was implicated in the extortion and suicide of a water tanker owner,” Kapoor said.

Bidhuri called for strict action, demanding the immediate sealing of borewell machinery and the arrest of Arun Sharma and his associates. "The government must intervene and unearth these mafias, or we will stage protests outside the CM’s residence," he warned.

The BJP also alleged the Delhi government had failed to address the ongoing water crisis in the Kapashera area, leaving it vulnerable to exploitation. Residents expressed apprehensions that unauthorised borewells would further restrict access to regular water supply in the area.