Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar was accused by Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday of “destroying” the Election Commission of India’s reputation and of engaging in political activity by sending out a notice regarding his allegation that the Haryana government was “mixing poison” in the Yamuna river.
Arvind Kejriwal asserted during a press conference that Rajiv Kumar was considering a position after retirement. “No one has damaged the Election Commission the way Rajiv Kumar has done. If he wants, he can contest elections from any of the Delhi assembly seats,” the former chief minister said.
Delhi citizens would not be permitted to drink tainted water, according to Arvind Kejriwal. “I will not let the people of Delhi drink poisonous water till I am alive. I know they will arrest me in two days, but I am not afraid,” he said without naming anyone.
The EC offered Arvind Kejriwal another opportunity to address his accusations against the Haryana government after expressing displeasure with his response to its notice earlier in the day.
Kejriwal responded to the ECI’s notification on Wednesday by stating that the raw water that was recently received from Haryana was “extremely poisonous and highly contaminated” for human consumption. He cautioned in his 14-page response that permitting individuals to drink such “toxic water” could lead to serious health risks and even death. The Yamuna water controversy precedes the February 5 Delhi election, the results of which are expected to be announced on February 8.
The EC said on Thursday that Kejriwal’s response was “entirely silent” on the main point and asked for more information by 11 a.m. on January 31. If the issue is not resolved, the EC warns that appropriate action will be taken.
In order to provide Kejriwal another opportunity to support his assertions, the EC requested that he present factual proof regarding the “type, quantity, nature, and manner of poisoning of Yamuna,” as well as information about the Delhi Jal Board engineers’ location and methods for detecting the poison. He was given till Friday at 11 a.m. to deliver detailed answers.
In his Wednesday response to the EC’s notice about his allegations of “poisoned water,” Kejriwal charged that the Haryana BJP government was tainting the Yamuna water that was being sent to Delhi. In his response, he justified his remarks by stating that they were made “in furtherance of an imperative public duty” to draw attention to the extreme toxicity and contamination of Haryana’s raw water, which directly endangered public health.
