Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal appeared before the Election Commission on Friday to clarify his serious allegations against the BJP government in Haryana, claiming they are contaminating Yamuna water with toxic substances. He specified that his comments referred to the high ammonia levels in the water and criticized the Commission's notice, suggesting it indicated a predetermined punishment for his statement. Kejriwal was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi during his appearance. Following his allegations, the Election Commission issued a notice requiring him to respond to a complaint from the BJP, which he did on Friday.
Kejriwal's accusations have sparked controversy amid the peak of the assembly election campaign in the capital. In a six-page response, he accused Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini of politicizing the Yamuna water issue. AAP leaders brought three bottles of Yamuna water to emphasize their point. At a press conference on January 27, Kejriwal stated, "The BJP government in Haryana has mixed poison in the water supplied to Delhi through the Yamuna. Thanks to the Delhi Jal Board engineers for stopping this in time; otherwise, there would have been a large-scale disaster."
He noted that ammonia levels had surged from 3.2 ppm to 7 ppm between January 26 and 27. Chief Ministers Atishi and Mann raised concerns with the Haryana Chief Minister, who only promised to release more water to lower ammonia levels while allegedly allowing contaminated water into Delhi.
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Kejriwal asserted that the Haryana Chief Minister is responsible for this situation. He clarified that his comments referred to unprocessed Yamuna water and that it was incorrect to draw any conclusions from the ammonia level increase.