AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal submitted his reply to the Election Commission (EC) on Friday over his controversial "poison mixed" remark about the water quality in the Yamuna. The EC had earlier this week issued a notice to Kejriwal, requesting an explanation for his statements by 11 am on Friday.
Kejriwal was accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to the EC office in New Delhi. In a letter, Kejriwal reiterated that his comments were solely related to the "unprecedented and dangerously high levels of ammonia contamination" in the raw water supplied to Delhi from Haryana.
In his response, Kejriwal clarified that his earlier statements, which referenced the Yamuna being "poisoned," were made in the context of the rising ammonia levels in the water and were not intended to suggest any malicious intent outside of this environmental crisis. He emphasized that the ammonia levels in the water had reached alarming levels, peaking at 7 parts per million (ppm) in January, which had posed a significant risk to public health.
The Delhi CM recounted the series of events leading to his remarks, detailing multiple attempts to engage with Haryana’s Chief Minister for a resolution. Kejriwal explained that despite assurances from the Haryana government, no action was taken to address the contamination. After repeated attempts by Delhi and Punjab officials to address the issue, Kejriwal raised concerns over what he perceived as a deliberate attempt by the Haryana government to influence the ongoing elections by sending polluted water to Delhi, a move that could have exacerbated the already fragile water situation in the capital.
Kejriwal also shared that the issue of water contamination had prompted a press conference by Atishi on January 27, which was followed by a tweet from the Delhi CM about the situation. His own tweet later that afternoon reiterated concerns about the rising ammonia levels and linked them to the Haryana government's failure to act.
The AAP chief stressed that the Haryana government's inaction had not only led to the water contamination crisis but was also an attempt to create a "manufactured crisis" in Delhi, thereby undermining the AAP government’s reputation ahead of elections. He called for a criminal investigation into the actions of Haryana's Chief Minister, accusing him of intentionally exacerbating the situation for political gain.
Before visiting the Election Commission's office, Kejriwal told reporters that the language of second notice hints that the poll body has already decided their action.
He alleged that the poll body is "shooting the messenger" by targeting the AAP for raising its voice.
Kejriwal claimed that there was a political conspiracy aimed at forcing half of Delhi to face a water crisis by contaminating the water with "poisonous" ammonia in order to tarnish the AAP's image during the Delhi Assembly elections.
"I want to congratulate the people of Delhi on our success. The ammonia levels in the Yamuna, which were at 7 ppm from January 26-27, have now dropped to 2.1 ppm," said the AAP leader.
The former Delhi Chief Minister clarified that he had not requested a meeting with the Election Commission (EC), but he was planning to visit.
On Thursday, Kejriwal accused the EC and its Chief Election Commissioner of engaging in political maneuvering over his comments. He reiterated that the Yamuna water supplied from Haryana to Delhi contained high ammonia levels.
The EC issued two notices to Kejriwal, demanding a response to his claim that the BJP government had intentionally contaminated the Yamuna water, attempting to commit a "genocide" in the city.
On Friday, Kejriwal defended his actions, stating that he had averted an engineered water crisis designed to influence the elections. However, the EC still sent him notices.
Kejriwal, who is contesting the Delhi elections from the New Delhi seat, was asked to provide details about the engineers, locations, and methods used by the Delhi Jal Board staff to detect the "poison" by 11 am Friday, or the Commission would take further action.
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