Ram Vilas Paswan Hits Back At Kejriwal, Challenges Him To Serve Tap Water At Official Meetings

Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has hit out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for casting aspersions on Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) and asked him to apologise. Paswan even challenged Kejriwal to serve tap water at official meetings if he believed the water in Delhi was safe to drink. The BIS had tested samples of waters collected from several locations in the national capital. The results of the sample test snowballed into a controversy as the Aam Admi Party government has questioned the tests saying sample collection locations either did not exist or belonging to members of a rival political group. It also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of targeting the Kejriwal ahead of Assembly elections.

"He (Kejriwal) should accept his mistake and apologize to people of the Delhi. If he believes that water in Delhi is safe, then he should make BIS standard mandatory in the national capital," he said. Results of sample testing claimed that water in Delhi was not fit for drinking. A consumer can drag the Delhi government to court if water certified as meeting BIS standards is found to be of poor quality.

"I dare him (Kejriwal) to serve tap water in all his official meetings if he believes it is safe," Paswan said as he wondered why most people who can afford either use RO to filter tap water or consume bottled water.

"Why is he getting frustrated and impatient?," Paswan asked and said that it was the duty of Consumer Affairs Ministry to protect consumer interest and so the sample testing was commissioned across the country and not just in Delhi.

"Kejriwal is committing more mistakes to hide one mistake. He is levelling baseless allegations against us and lying. He is doing politics but is charging us of doing politics," Paswan noted.

Standing by the results of the sample tests, the Union Minister said Kejriwal thinks that everyone is wrong and only he is right.

"I am a grass-root level leader. I don't finger anyone but when I do I don't leave them easily," he said, adding, "How are we doing politics? My party LJP does not fight elections in Delhi".

Paswan criticised Kejriwal for raising questions about the credibility of the BIS, an autonomous body that has developed around 25,000 quality standards for various products and services.