Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday accused Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar of “destroying” the credibility of the Election Commission of India and alleged that he was indulging in politics by issuing a notice over his claim that the Haryana government was “mixing poison” in the Yamuna river.
Addressing a press conference, Arvind kejriwal claimed that Rajiv Kumar was eyeing a post-retirement role. “No one has damaged the Election Commission the way Rajiv Kumar has done. If he wants, he can contest elections from any of the Delhi assembly seats,” the former chief minister said.
Arvind Kejriwal said he would not allow Delhi residents to consume contaminated water. “I will not let the people of Delhi drink poisonous water till I am alive. I know they will arrest me in two days, but I am not afraid,” he said without naming anyone.
Arvind Kejriwal’s remarks came shortly after the EC expressed dissatisfaction with his response to its notice earlier in the day, and gave him another chance to clarify his allegations against the Haryana government.
Responding to the ECI’s notice on Wednesday, Kejriwal said the raw water recently received from Haryana was “highly contaminated and extremely poisonous” for human health. In his 14-page reply, he warned that allowing people to consume such “toxic water” could result in severe health hazards and fatalities.
The controversy over Yamuna water comes ahead of the Delhi election, scheduled for February 5, with results set to be declared on February 8.
EC’s notice to Arvind Kejriwal
On Thursday, the EC said Kejriwal’s response was “entirely silent” on the core issue and demanded further clarification by 11am on January 31, warning that appropriate action would be taken if not addressed.
The EC, giving Kejriwal another chance to substantiate his claims, asked him to provide factual evidence about the “type, quantity, nature, and manner of poisoning of Yamuna”, along with details of the engineers, location, and methodology used by Delhi Jal Board engineers in detecting the poison. He was given a deadline of 11am on Friday to provide specific responses.
Kejriwal on Wednesday responded to the EC’s notice regarding his claims of “poisoned water,” accusing the Haryana BJP government of contaminating the Yamuna water coming to Delhi. In his reply, he defended his statements as being made “in furtherance of an imperative public duty” to highlight the severe toxicity and contamination of the raw water from Haryana, which posed a direct threat to public health.
(With ANI, PTI inputs)
