The Election Commission of India on Thursday asked Aam Aadmi PARTY (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal not to mix the issue of increased ammonia in Yamuna with his allegation of river poisoning. The AAP chief on Monday claimed that the BJP government in Haryana mixes "poisoജn" in the Yamuna water it su𒀰pplies to Delhi.
After Kejriwal, several other AAP leaders including Chief Minister Atishi spoke on the same line. They slammed the BJP for "water terrorism". The chief minister also wrote to the Election Commission and Delhi Lieutenant Govern෴or VK Saxena demanding suitable action by the poll body ag♉ainst BJP.
EC seeks evidence
Responding to Atishi's letter, EC asked Kejriwal to provide factual evidence with specific a♔nd pointed resp🐼onses to the type, quantity, nature, and manner of poisoning of Yamuna.
"The electors tend to believe whatever is being said in public by their leaders and in that sense, the statement, if not true, affect the campaign discourse. If true, this also has serious ramifications of creating enmity between regional groups, residents of neighbouring states, threat of law-and-order situation due to actual or perceived shortage of non-availabili🔴ty of water," the Commission said.
Kejriwal had on Wednesday responded to the Election Commission notice over his claim the Haryana government was "mixing poison" in Yamuna, and said raw water received from the BJP-ruled state in the recent past has been "high♐ly contaminated and extremely poisonous" for human health.
In the 14-page reply to the EC, the former Delhi chief minister said if such 'toxic water' wit👍h an elevated level of ammonia is allowed to be consumed by people, it would lead to grave health hazards and fatality.
What did Kejriwal say?
Kejriwal's remark came in connection to the high levels of ammonia detected in th✤e Yamuna water which reportedly was over 700 times the permissible limit.
"The people of Delhi get drinking water from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh... but the Haryana government has mixed poison in the water coming to Delhi from ♌the Yamuna and sent it here...it is only due to the vigilance of our Delhi Jal Board engineers that this water was stopped," Mr Kejriwal had said.
Court summons Kejriwal
In fresh legal trou༒ble, a Haryana court has issued a summons to Kejriwal over his claim that the state government was "poisoning" the Yamuna to disrupt Delhi's water supply. According to PTI, the court has directed Kejriwal to appear before it on February 17. If he fails to do so, action will be taken against him as per the rule of law, the notice issued to Kejriwal said.
This came after the Haryana government decided to file a defamation case against Kejriwal over his remarks alleging the BJP gov🧸ernment in Haryana has "poisoned" the Yamuna water, state minister Vipul Goyal said on Wednesday. The development came right ahead of the Delhi Assembly Elections which is scheduled to take place on February 5.
"Kejriwal has spread panic among the people of Haryana and Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal has given an irresponsible statement...There is no truth in these allegations. The Haryana government will not spare him," Mr Goyal said.
