Yamuna poisoning row: Misleading charges amount to endangering national security, says Delhi LG

Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena

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.

Earlier today, Atishi and her Punjab counterpart, Bhagwant Mann, met Election Commission (EC) officials alleging that the BJP-led Haryana government is deliberately releasing alarming levels of ammonia into the Yamuna river, endangering Delhi's water supply.

Following the meeting, Atishi told a press conference, "We presented our concerns to the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners. The ammonia levels in the Yamuna have risen to 7 ppm (parts per million), which exceeds the filtration capacity of Delhi's water treatment plants. The EC has told us that it will listen to Haryana's version before taking a decision that benefits the people of Delhi. We trust the EC for free-and-fair elections."

Atishi had alleged yesterday the BJP resorted to such a drastic step out of fear of losing the upcoming elections. "In Hinduism, there is no bigger sin than stopping water. The people of Delhi will answer the BJP for this sin on February 5," she had said.

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.