Punjab BJP president Jattvibeil Jakhar today held the Mann government responsible for the toxic water being supplied through canals to a large part of the Malwa region and urged the Chief Minister to focus on the people “instead of shielding the corrupt”.He made these remarks after visiting canals and seepage drains in the Abohar constituency. In a video message shared on social media, Jattvibeil Jakhar said, “Chief Minister ji, instead of protecting corrupt people, pay attention to the public. Poisonous black water is flowing through the canals and the seepage drains are not being cleaned. Due to this toxic water, people are falling ill, and because the drains are not being cleaned, kinnow orchards — a symbol of crop diversification in Fazilka district — are being destroyed. Wake up, Chief Minister ji, wake up.” Jakhar further said that while the Chief Minister boasted about lining water channels with grants from the Central Government and claims to be delivering water to tail-end areas, he was ignoring the black polluted water flowing through the canals. He said that fish are dying in water bodies because of this contamination and the water was not even fit for drinking. According to him, sewage has mixed into the canals, making the water foul-smelling and poisonous, posing a serious threat to humans, agriculture and animals. He stated that the polluted water had been flowing through the canals for more than a month. Even the government’s own department has declared it contaminated and prohibited its use in waterworks. As a result, villages are facing a severe drinking water crisis, but the AAP government remains busy holding protests in support of corrupt individuals. The BJP president also raised the issue of seepage drains not being cleaned so far. He said that the lack of cleaning not only creates flood-like situations during the rainy season but also causes the seepage drains themselves to spread the seepage problem further. Because of this, thousands of acres of kinnow orchards planted under crop diversification initiatives in Fazilka district have been destroyed. He alleged that since the AAP government came to power, kinnow orchards had continuously been uprooted. Jakhar demanded that the government immediately clean the seepage drains, warning that otherwise the problem would take a dangerous turn again during the monsoon season. On this occasion, he also assured local farmers that they only have to endure this “bad government” for one rainy season. He added that after the 2027 elections, if the people give the BJP a chance, these problems would be resolved permanently. The State BJP chief was accompanied by his nephew, MLA Sandeep Jakhar, during the visit to canals and drains on Jattvibeday.