The Election Commission has asked Arvind Kejriwal to provide proof of his “poisoning” allegation against Haryana, while Delhi LG VK Saxena accused him of “inciting public fear” and damaging interstate relations.
BY PC Bureau
The Election Commission of India (ECI) and Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena have taken strong exception to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s claim that the BJP-led Haryana government is poisoning the Yamuna water supplied to Delhi.
The EC has asked Kejriwal to provide proof by 8 PM on Wednesday, warning that such statements could create animosity between states and carry legal consequences, including a three-year jail term. Meanwhile, Saxena, in a scathing letter to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, accused Kejriwal of making “highly objectionable and unfortunate” allegations that endanger national security.
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The controversy erupted after Kejriwal, days ahead of the Delhi Assembly election, alleged that Haryana authorities had released “poison” into the Yamuna, endangering Delhi residents. “The Haryana government has mixed poison in the water coming to Delhi from the Yamuna and sent it here. It is only due to the vigilance of our Delhi Jal Board engineers that this water was stopped,” he claimed.
Saxena, in his letter to Atishi, slammed the AAP supremo’s accusations, stating that they were “misleading, baseless, and dangerous.” He warned that making false claims about “poisoning and genocide” over a sensitive issue like drinking water could incite public unrest and disrupt inter-state relations.
“Making such accusations is not only a threat to the states involved but also to national peace and security,” Saxena wrote. He also criticized Atishi for allegedly “strengthening confusion and fear” by writing to the Election Commission instead of condemning Kejriwal’s statements. “Instead of rectifying the confusion, you chose to endorse it. This amounts to fear-mongering and misleading the people of Delhi,” he added.
The Election Commission, echoing similar concerns, stated that Kejriwal’s remarks were “extremely serious” and could inflame tensions between regional groups and neighboring states. “Electors tend to believe whatever is being said in public by their leaders, and in that sense, such statements, if not true, affect the campaign discourse,” the EC’s letter read. The Commission emphasized that if Kejriwal failed to substantiate his claims with evidence, he could face legal action for spreading misinformation.
Meanwhile, Delhi Jal Board CEO Shilpa Shinde also refuted Kejriwal’s claims, calling them “factually incorrect, baseless, and misleading.” In a letter to Delhi Chief Secretary Dharmendra, she stressed that such statements could harm interstate relations and erode public confidence in water safety. “The water is being regularly tested, and no such contamination has been found,” she stated.
Kejriwal, however, remained defiant, doubling down on his accusations. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he alleged, “The poison being mixed in the Yamuna cannot even be treated in water treatment plants. For the safety of Delhi residents, water supply has to be stopped in many areas. This is a direct attempt to create chaos and harm the people of Delhi.”
The controversy has taken a sharp political turn, with the BJP dismissing Kejriwal’s statements as “deliberate fear-mongering.” The party has accused AAP of trying to create a “false crisis” ahead of the elections to diver
