"Not politics, criminal...": Congress' Sandeep Dikshit amid row over Kejriwal's "poisoned water" remark

New Delhi [India], January 28 (ANI): Days ahead of the assembly elections in Delhi, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Tuesday jumped into the ongoing controversy over allegations of the Haryana government "poisoning" Yamuna water and said that this was not politics, but a criminal act.
Dikshit asserted that Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini must be jailed if the allegations are proven true since it amounts to a criminal act. However, he said, if the allegations are false, as claimed by the Delhi Jal Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO), a case must be registered against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi.
"This is not politics, this is a criminal activity...if Haryana has made the Yamuna water poisonous then it is not a political conspiracy so if it is proven true, Haryana CM must be put in jail. But, if it is a lie, the way Jal Board CEO said. Then for spreading lies and making a serious allegation against another state govt, a case should be registered against Kejriwal and Atishi. If a criminal case be filed against a common person who called up schools to spread rumours about bombs, why shouldn't Atishi and Kejriwal go to jail?" Dikshit told ANI.
His reaction comes in response to Kejriwal's statement on Monday, in which he alleged that Delhi's water supply had been "poisoned" and accused the Haryana government of planning a "genocide" against Delhi residents.
"If this water would have entered Delhi only to be mixed with the drinking water, many people would have died in Delhi. It would have caused mass genocide," Kejriwal had alleged.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri slammed Kejriwal, saying that the allegations made by him are reflective of his "desperation" and "frustration".
"He is saying that the BJP government in Haryana wants to poison Delhi. Earlier, I used to doubt his mental coordinates, but his statements yesterday show that his desperation and frustrations are at their peak. He has got the reply from the Delhi Jal Board CEO and the people of Haryana," Puri told ANI.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has asked AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal to provide factual evidence to substantiate his serious allegations that the river Yamuna was poisoned by the neighbouring Haryana state.
The Commission has directed Kejriwal to furnish his response on the complaints, especially on the factual and legal matrix along with evidentiary support thereof by 8 PM on 29th January, so as to enable the Commission to examine the matter and take action as appropriate.
The Delhi Assembly elections will take place in a single phase on February 5, with the counting of votes set for February 8. A total of 699 candidates are competing for the 70 assembly seats in Delhi.
The Congress, which was in power for 15 consecutive years in Delhi, has suffered setbacks in the last two assembly elections and failed to win any seats. In contrast, AAP dominated the 2015 and 2020 assembly elections, winning 67 and 62 seats, respectively, out of a total of 70 seats, while BJP secured only three and eight seats in these elections. (ANI)