‘Poison in Yamuna’ row: EC gives Kejriwal more time to provide evidence
Dissatisfied with his response, the Election Commission on Thursday asked Arvind Kejriwal not to mix the issue of increased ammonia in the Yamuna with his allegation of river poisoning and gave him a fresh opportunity to explain his charge, prompting the AAP supremo to accuse poll body chief Rajiv Kumar of doing politics.
The EC asked the former Delhi chief minister to provide factual evidence with specific and pointed response to the type, quantity, nature and manner of poisoning of the Yamuna.
Kejriwal, who is contesting the Delhi polls from the New Delhi seat, was asked to share details of engineers, location and methodology of detecting the "poison" by Delhi Jal Board staff by Friday 11 am, failing which the Commission will be free to take appropriate decisions in the matter.
Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal slammed Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kumar and said, "No one has damaged the Election Commission as much as Rajiv Kumar has. If he wants to do politics, contest elections. He is eyeing a post-retirement job."
The AAP chief said he would not let the people of Delhi drink poisonous water till he is alive, claiming that they (BJP) would arrest him in the next two days, but he is not afraid.
On Wednesday, Kejriwal responded to the EC notice over his claim that the Haryana government was "mixing poison" in the Yamuna, and said raw water received from the BJP-ruled state in the recent past had been "highly contaminated and extremely poisonous" for human health.
In the 14-page reply to the EC, the former Delhi chief minister said if such "toxic water" is allowed to be consumed by people, it would lead to grave health hazard and fatality.
Targeting Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini on Thursday, Kejriwal said the CM "was trapped in his own drama" and claimed that Saini could not have even a sip of the water during his visit to Palla.
"Yet, he wants the people of Delhi to consume this poisonous water," he added.
