After Election Commission Summons, Arvind Kejriwal Doubles Down On Yamuna Poisoning Charge

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal today doubled down on his party's charge that the BJP-led Haryana government poisoned the Yamuna waters as he snubbed the Election Commission for choosing to "hound" him instead of passing any order against the saffron party.

Mr Kejriwal visited the EC office in Delhi today with his reply to five questions raised by them regarding the AAP's accusations against the Haryana government, including what kind of 'poison' was used.

In his letter, he pointed to previous statements by him and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi regarding the allegedly high levels of ammonia in Yamuna, which flows from Haryana to Delhi and is a major source of drinking water in the national capital.

The AAP chief said it "clearly establishes that there was a deliberate conspiracy on the part of Haryana CM (Nayab Singh Saini), who happens to be from BJP, to influence Delhi elections by sending highly polluted waters to Delhi".

Mr Saini, he said, knew this alleged act would create an artificial scarcity of water in Delhi, for which the blame would fall on AAP. "It is Haryana CM who is at fault," he asserted, calling for a criminal case to be registered against the BJP leader.

Warning that water could be used as a weapon to win elections if the Election Commission fails to act, he said he was shocked that the poll body did not pass any order for the Haryana Chief Minister but chose to "hound" him.

"If no action is taken against the Haryana government and the BJP leaders involved in corrupt practices, it will be amply clear to everyone that CEC keeps the interest of the ruling party over public interest," he said in his letter.

He also expressed surprise over the "alacrity" with which he said the poll body acted against him.

"I can't be expected to be silent on this and tow this line out of fear or expectations of favour. My only concern is the health and safety of the people of Delhi, and I will fight for the protection of our democratic principles," the letter added.

The AAP chief also said he was ready to face any "illegal punishment" that the EC wishes to impose on him.

The letter also noted that the Delhi Chief Minister had dialled Mr Saini to complain about the rising ammonia levels in Yamuna, but he did not take any action and ultimately stopped taking her calls.

The Yamuna controversy has sparked a face-off between the BJP and AAP ahead of the elections in Delhi where the two parties are facing each other in a direct contest. While the AAP has been winning the assembly elections over a decade, the BJP has had a clean sweep in the last two Lok Sabha elections.