Substantiate your claims about poisoning of Yamuna by January 29: EC to Arvind Kejriwal

Arvind Kejriwal accusing the BJP-led Haryana government of deliberately contaminating Yamua's water.

As the row over 'poisoning of Yamuna' intensifies, the Election Commission on Tuesday in a strongly worded letter has asked AAP's Arvind Kejriwal to substantiate claims of alleged poisoning of Yamuna river water being supplied by Haryana to Delhi by January 29.

"The Commission has directed Kejriwal to furnish his response to the complaints, especially on the factual and legal matrix along with evidentiary support thereof by 8 pm on 29th January, 2025 so as to enable the Commission to examine the matter and take action as appropriate," said EC's official document.

Earlier today, In a letter to Delhi chief minister Atishi, Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena expressing strong objection over Aam Aadmi Party's recent allegation of mixing of poison in the Yamuna River, Saxena said misleading charges of poisoning of water and genocide amount to instigating people, endangering national security.

The poll body in the letter to Kejriwal noted that such allegations have serious ramifications of creating enmity between the regional groups, and residents of the neighbouring States, threat of a law-and-order situation due to actual or perceived shortage or non-availability of water, during this time of the year.

In the official statement provided by the poll panel, ECI cited various judicial pronouncements and legal provisions that can lead to up to three years imprisonment for mischievous statements against national integration and public harmony.

Earlier today, BJP visited EC's office and urged the commission to bar him from campaigning for his allegation that Haryana was poisoning the water of Yamuna. A BJP delegation, comprising Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Bhupender Yadav and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh met all three members of the EC, and requested them to ask the AAP leader to retract his charge and apologise for creating "panic" among people.

The issue took a sharp political turn on Monday, with AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal accusing the BJP-led Haryana government of deliberately contaminating Yamua's water, being supplied to Delhi. The AAP supremo doubled down on Delhi Chief Minister Atishi's allegation that the Haryana government was "intentionally" draining industrial waste into Yamuna from where the national capital draws its water.