Kejriwal raking up Yamuna poisoning issue to cover up AAP's failure, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

Himanta Biswa Sarma

A day after the Election Commission sought a detailed explanation from AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal over his remarks on 'deliberate poisoning' of Yamuna, Assam chief minister Himanata Biswa Sarma on Wednesday doubled down on AAP supremo and said it was merely a diversionary tactic used by Kejriwal in order to cover up for his failure to clean Yamuna.

"...To divert the issue of polluted Yamuna River, Arvind Kejriwal started a new story and said that Haryana is supplying polluted water to Delhi. As the campaign for high-stakes Delhi election intensifies, primary contendors- AAP and BJP are leaving no stone unturned to galvanise its supporters on the issue of Yamuna.

The Assam CM said Kejriwal's utterance reflects his mindset. "How can he speak like this for his birthplace...I will die but never speak wrong about my birthplace...This statement by Arvind Kejriwal shows his mentality," remarked Sarma.

The water war escalated with Delhi CM's letter to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, in which she warned him not to "go down in the history of Delhi as someone with blood on their hands".

In a fiercely-worded two-page letter she reminded him that "even your letter acknowledges current ammonia level is 7.2 ppm (parts per million) - a figure 700 per cent above the permissible limit" and accused him of prioritising "loyalty to your political masters" over the welfare of Delhi residents.

Her reply this morning was an all-out attack, underscoring the bitter relationship between the city's elected government and the Lieutenant Governor. "... it is no secret you have consistently pursued political interests... I had naively hoped that, in a case as grave as this, you might put politics aside. However, you have chosen to remain loyal to your political masters," the Chief Minister raged.