New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a stern warning to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, demanding evidence to substantiate his claim that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Haryana government “poisoned” Delhi’s water supply.
The ECI’s action follows complaints from the BJP and Congress, citing the potential for his statement to incite disharmony between residents of Delhi and Haryana. “Coming back to your response on your statement under reference, Commission has prima facie found your allegations about poising of river Yamuna as promoting disharmony and enmity between different groups, and overall public disorder and unrest even by the most sober interpretation,” the Commission says in its letter.
The ECI’s letter, issued on Thursday, explicitly states that Kejriwal’s allegation of poisoning the Yamuna river is considered a prima facie case of promoting disharmony and enmity between different groups. The commission emphasizes that such a statement could cause significant public unrest and disorder.
The ECI had initially requested a response from Kejriwal on Tuesday, following complaints from both the BJP and Congress, along with separate complaints from Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann regarding high ammonia levels in Delhi’s water supply sourced from Haryana. This current communication focuses specifically on Kejriwal’s claim of deliberate poisoning.
The commission stressed Kejriwal’s responsibility as a prominent public figure and former Chief Minister to refrain from making such inflammatory remarks that could exacerbate existing tensions between the two states.
“As a prominent public figure and a former chief minister, the Commission need not remind you of the dire consequences that such utterances and actions of yours can have and leave permanent scars between well-identifiable groups of residents of two States and /or living together in State of Haryana and NCT of Delhi,” EC has written in the letter.
They have requested Kejriwal to provide information on the alleged poison, the location where it was found, the evidence supporting his claim, and the involvement of Delhi Jal Board engineers in identifying and mitigating the alleged contamination. The deadline for providing this evidence is set at 11 am on Friday.
