New Delhi: A heated political battle erupted Tuesday over Arvind Kejriwal’s claim of the Haryana government “poisoning” the Yamuna water, with the BJP saying he cannot be forgiven for his “dangerous statement”, while the AAP chief asserted he won’t let the people of Delhi die due to the dirty, poisonous water.
The AAP and the BJP also moved the Election Commission, with the saffron party seeking to bar Kejriwal from campaigning. The poll panel sought factual evidence from the AAP chief to substantiate his claims.
Meanwhile, Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena wrote to Chief Minister Atishi, saying her party chief’s remarks are highly objectionable and amount to endangering national security.
Atishi and her Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann met the Election Commission officials, alleging the BJP-led Haryana government is deliberately releasing alarming levels of ammonia into the Yamuna river, endangering Delhi’s water supply.
Saxena asked the Delhi chief minister to rise above “narrow interests” and refrain from making “misleading, dangerous, and baseless statements” for the sake of public welfare and peace.
Later, a BJP delegation, led by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, also approached the EC seeking its direction to bar Kejriwal from campaigning for the February 5 Delhi Assembly polls for his “dangerous statement” with implications for India’s federal structure.
The delegation requested the EC to ask Kejriwal to retract his charge and apologise for creating “panic” among people. They also demanded legal action against him.
Following the meetings, the EC sought factual evidence from Kejriwal to substantiate his allegation, and reminded him of legal provisions that can lead to up to three years’ imprisonment for “mischievous” statements against national integration and public harmony.
In a letter to Kejriwal, the Election Commission (EC) sought by 8 pm Wednesday the nature and extent of the chemicals used for “poisoning” the Yamuna which could have killed people in large numbers, as claimed by the AAP chief.
The EC also asked Kejriwal to share details of his claim that engineers of Delhi Jal Board had actually detected and prevented it on time.
Kejriwal alleged Monday that the BJP-ruled Haryana is supplying “poison-mixed” water to Delhi with the intention of killing people so that it could blame the AAP during the election.
Addressing a public meeting in the Kalakaji constituency Tuesday, senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah dared Kejriwal to make public the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) report which he cited to level the charge.
Noting that the AAP chief had also claimed that he saved the people of Delhi by stopping the “poisonous” Yamuna water from entering Delhi, Shah asked him to show the official order issued in this regard.
“Kejriwal ji, winning and losing are part of the election process. Making an innocent face, you accused the Haryana government of mixing poison (in the Yamuna) and tried to scare the people of Delhi. Politics cannot get dirtier than this,” he charged.
Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini Monday threatened to file a defamation suit against him if he did not apologise.
Hitting back at Saini, the AAP supremo said Tuesday the Haryana CM should not play politics on the issue. “It is sinful, you will face the curse of the people.”
“They are threatening to file a case against me. They sent me to jail, will they hang me now?” he asked.
The former chief minister asserted he would not let the people of Delhi drink the “poisonous water” and die.
The BJP should refrain from its “dirty politics”, he demanded and urged the Haryana chief minister to release clean water in the Yamuna.
Addressing a BJP rally in Narela Tuesday, the Haryana chief minister launched a sharp attack on Kejriwal, saying Delhi is like his home and he can never provide water mixed with poison to the people of the city.
Kejriwal has told such a “big lie” for which he cannot be forgiven, Saini said. BJP leader asserted the Aam Aadmi Party is going to be ousted from power in the February 5 assembly polls.
All BJP MPs from Haryana held a press conference in Delhi and demanded the arrest of AAP supremo over his claim, saying it was a clear case of “criminal conspiracy” by the AAP chief who was trying to create panic among the residents of Delhi.
They also challenged the AAP government to test the quality of water released from Haryana before it is supplied to households in Delhi.
Following her meeting with EC officials, Atishi told a press conference, “We presented our concerns to the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners. The ammonia levels in the Yamuna have risen to 7 ppm (parts per million), which exceeds the filtration capacity of Delhi’s water treatment plants.
“The EC has told us that it will listen to Haryana’s version before taking a decision that benefits the people of Delhi. We trust the EC for free and fair elections.”
Mann called for immediate action, saying, “We have demanded additional water from the Munak canal to compensate for the toxic inflow into the Yamuna. The EC will also review last year’s ammonia-level data. We are confident that it will rule in Delhi’s favour.”
Delhi goes to polls February 5 and the results will be announced February 8.
PTI
