AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday accused Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar of politicising the controversy over his claim that the BJP-led Haryana government “poisoned” the Yamuna water to disrupt Delhi’s water supply.
Alleging that Kumar was seeking a post-retirement job, Kejriwal said he would send three bottles of Yamuna water to Kumar and the other Election Commissioners, challenging them to drink it.
Kejriwal made the statement just hours after the Election Commission issued a letter to him regarding his comments. The poll panel demanded that the former Delhi chief minister provide factual evidence and answer five specific questions by 11 am on Friday or face potential action.
‘Drink Yamuna water’: Kejriwal to Kumar
During a press conference, Kejriwal criticised the Election Commission for issuing the notice, claiming that the commission had created a “mess” and that Kumar was more interested in politics than his duties. “We have 20 bottles. We will send three of them to the Election Commission. Let Rajiv Kumar ji and his Election Commissioners drink this water at a press conference,” he said.
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He said, “I want to tell the Election Commission with full respect. They can’t see money and blankets being openly distributed in Delhi. They are engaging in politics. Why? Because Rajiv Kumar wants a post-retirement job. If Rajiv Kumar wants, he can contest elections from any seat in Delhi.” Rajiv Kumar is set to retire next month.
Kejriwal also remarked that history would not forgive Kumar and predicted that the Election Commission would soon jail him. “I am not afraid. The country has never seen elections like this before,” he said.
In response to the Election Commission’s request, Kejriwal was asked to provide specific details regarding the nature and manner of the alleged poisoning of the Yamuna water, including the type, quantity, and location of the contamination, as well as the methodology used by Delhi Jal Board engineers to detect it.
Claims of water poisoning
Earlier this week, Kejriwal had claimed that the raw water received from Haryana was “highly contaminated and extremely poisonous” to human health.
During the press briefing, Kejriwal also displayed four bottles of water containing 7 parts per million (PPM) of ammonia mixed with chlorine. The bottles were labelled with the names of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva, and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. Kejriwal challenged the four leaders to drink the water.
“This is 7 PPM ammonia water, with chlorine mixed in. The BJP and the Congress have joined hands, putting the health of Delhiites at risk. Sanjay Singh will deliver these bottles to the BJP headquarters for Amit Shah, Virendra Sachdeva, Nayab Singh Saini, and also one for Rahul Gandhi. If they have the courage, they should drink this water at a press conference and show us,” he said.
Kejriwal also criticised Saini for spitting out Yamuna water during a recent public appearance, suggesting that the Haryana Chief Minister may have vomited after tasting the water. “The water was either dirty or had a foul smell. It looked like he had vomited. Saini ji, you could even take a sip of Yamuna water, and you expect the people of Delhi to drink this water?” Kejriwal added. He also claimed that Saini had stopped taking calls from Delhi’s Atishi, who had raised concerns over rising ammonia levels in the Yamuna water.
[With agency inputs]