New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday challenged AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal to release the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) report he referenced while claiming that Haryana government had mixed poison in the Yamuna River to contaminate Delhi’s water supply.
“Kejriwal ji, what is the name of the poison you are alleging is mixed in the Yamuna? Show us the report or any official order regarding the matter,” Shah demanded while addressing an election rally at Kalkaji.
Further taking a swipe at Kejriwal, Shah said, “Winning and losing are part of elections. But by making an innocent face, you accused the Haryana government of mixing poison and tried to scare the people of Delhi. Politics cannot get dirtier than this.”
Besides alleging that Delhi’s water supply had been ‘poisoned’, the AAP national convenor also accused the Haryana government of planning a ‘genocide’ against Delhi residents.
While Delhi Jal Board CEO, in a letter to the Chief Secretary, asserted that Kejriwal’s remarks were ‘factually incorrect’ and ‘without any basis’, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini has threatened to sue the AAP chief.
“For these blatantly false and disgusting statements, Kejriwal should immediately apologise to the people of Haryana and Delhi for this statement, otherwise, we will file a defamation suit against him,” Saini told news agency ANI.
Earlier in the day, Congress leader Ajay Maken also slammed Kejriwal over allegations regarding Delhi’s water supply. “If Arvind Kejriwal is lying about mixing poison in the water, it is treason. If the Haryana government is wrong, action should be taken. If Arvind Kejriwal is spreading rumours, action should be taken against him,” he said.
A BJP delegation also met the Election Commission regarding the issue later in the day. “… We came to protest and submit our petition to the EC on the very unfair, irresponsible, and the violative of the MCC statement made by the former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. It is a very dangerous statement… This statement was dangerous for everyone except him, who is a self-proclaimed anarchist… The statement that he made has actually brought fear into the minds of people in Delhi… This has very serious implications for the way in which elections are conducted in this country… Is this good for our democracy? We raised these issues before the EC… How could a CM or former CM accuse another CM of an act which somewhere relatable to genocide?… It is an insult to all the people of Haryana who have elected him… We have requested the EC to take action which prevents Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning in Delhi anymore…,” Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the media.
Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav alleged that Kejriwal has created unnecessary fear in the minds of people through his speech. “He is directly against the model code of conduct, fair election practices. In that speech, the kind of hatred, the kind of discrimination and the kind of separatism that has been talked about is totally against the rules of the election committee, the model code of conduct, fair election practices…,” he added.
Delhi CM Atishi and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann also met the Election Commission to raise concerns about the toxic water being released into the Yamuna river from Haryana. “Water treatment plants in Delhi can only treat water up to PPM-1 and PPM-2. However, since the last few days, the ammonia levels have been increasing up to PPM-7, which is poisonous. If this continues, many of our water treatment plants will shut down and 30 per cent of Delhi won’t be able to get water. Election Commission has assured us that they will take action, in favour of people of Delhi,” she told reporters.
Terming this move “water terrorism”, Atishi has also written to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, demanding action against the BJP-led Haryana government, who she accused of attempting to “sabotage water supply” in Delhi to influence the upcoming assembly elections.
The Delhi CM further alleged that the letter from the DJB CEO to the Chief Secretary was the result of pressure exerted by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. “When AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and I exposed the BJP’s conspiracy regarding poisonous water, BJP through LG put pressure on the officials of Delhi government and made DJB CEO to write a letter and release it,” Atishi said, asserting that the letter from the Delhi Jal Board inadvertently revealed the truth.
