New Delhi, Jan 30: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday expressed dissatisfaction over AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal's reply on the Yamuna 'poison' issue, saying that "no factual, legal matrix with evidence has been provided to support his statement.

The ECI said this in its letter dated January 30 after Kejriwal submitted his reply to the question asked by the Commission. The ECI had sought a reply from Kejriwal following a complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party and Sandeep Dixit of the Congress.

The ECI had called upon the former Delhi Chief Minister, Kejriwal to furnish his response through the Commission's letter No. 437/ DL-LA/2025-NS-II dated January 28, on his statement. The ECI has referred to Kejriwal's statement which is also posted on his X handle, especially "on the factual and legal matrix along with evidentiary support thereof, by 20:00 hours on 29th January 2025".

"The Commission has received your reply on the complaints vide your communication No Nil dated 29th January 2025. Whereas, on examination, the Commission finds that your response is entirely silent on your public and widely circulated, during the campaign statement of "poising of river Yamuna by the Government of Haryana with intention to cause genocide in Delhi, equating it with an act of war between Nations and the fact that same was not only timely detected by the engineers of Delhi Jal Board but also stopped poisonous water at the border of Delhi," the ECI's letter reads.

"Needless to add that no factual and legal matrix with evidence has been provided to support your statement. Whereas, instead of clarifying factual and legal matrix of your statement you have chosen to justify your statement under question on high ammonia content in the river Yamuna in Delhi," said the ECI letter.

The ECI said that it was clearly stated in Commission's letter dated 28.1.2025 that it was in receipt of a joint letter from Chief Minister Delhi and Chief Minister, Punjab dated 27.01.2025 and 28.01.2025 alleging "deliberate acts of water terrorism by sudden and sharp increase in the Ammonia content in the water being released by Haryana into Yamuna rendering the water untreatable" and that the same is being dealt separately after considering inputs received from the state government of Haryana.

"Whereas, the Commission agrees with the contention that availability of sufficient and clean water is a governance issue and that all concerned governments at all times should engage in securing this for all the people. Commission finds no reason for anyone to dispute this noble position," the ECI\s letter states.

The ECI has left this important matter to the "competence and good discretion of the governments and the agencies without arbitering, during the short timeframe of the election period, in the water sharing or water pollution issues having a long past and also long term implications for the future and where agreement on sharing of water, directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal are in play".

--IANS

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