Arvind Kejriwal Responds to Election Commission Over Yamuna ‘Poisoning’ Remark

The Delhi Chief Minister, Atishi, was accompanied by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and AAP leader Manish Sisodia at the Election Commission of India (ECI) in a visit today (January 31), as they sought to address the controversy surrounding the alleged contamination of the Yamuna River water.

The visit follows the Election Commission's notice to Kejriwal, asking him to provide evidence to support his claim that the Haryana government deliberately contaminated Delhi's water supply.

Before heading to the EC office, Kejriwal accused the poll body of pre-determining its stance, alleging that it was "shooting the messenger" instead of addressing the issue. He claimed the crisis was a political conspiracy to deprive half of Delhi of clean water ahead of the assembly elections.

"Our struggle has yielded results," Arvind Kejriwal stated, highlighting that the ammonia levels in the Yamuna, which were as high as 7 ppm on January 26-27, have now significantly decreased to 2.1 ppm.

Yamuna Water Dispute Intensifies

The controversy has become a major flashpoint in Delhi politics, with Kejriwal accusing the BJP-ruled Haryana government of deliberately polluting the river. The EC had earlier asked Kejriwal to submit factual evidence supporting his allegations by 11:00 am today.

In its response on Thursday, the EC warned Kejriwal against conflating the issue of increased ammonia levels with his claims of mass poisoning, which he had equated to an "act of war between two nations." The Commission granted him a final opportunity to provide specific details on the alleged poisoning, including the type, quantity, and detection methods used by Delhi Jal Board engineers, by Friday at 11:00 am. Failure to do so would result in further action.

"If this contaminated water had entered Delhi's drinking supply, it could have led to mass genocide," Kejriwal had claimed, sparking a political storm.

With Delhi's assembly elections approaching on February 5 and vote counting scheduled for February 8, the political battle has intensified, with AAP, BJP, and Congress trading accusations. In the 2020 elections, AAP secured 62 out of 70 seats, while BJP won only eight