"Will die but will never speak bad about my birthplace...": Assam CM Himanta slams Kejriwal over "poisoned water" claim

New Delhi [India], January 29 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma came lashing out at Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal over his "poisoned water" remark and criticised him for criticising his own home state.
He also attacked the former Delhi CM over his promise of cleaning Yamuna and challenged him to take a dip in the river.
"He (Arvind Kejriwal) had said that he will not contest elections until the Yamuna is cleaned. Will he be able to take a dip in Yamuna? Can one drink Yamuna's water?" Sarma said at a public rally in Uttam Nagar assembly constituency.
The Assam CM further attacked Kejriwal, saying that he composed a "new story" to avoid accountability for cleaning the Yamuna River. Criticising Kejriwal for bad-mouthing his birthplace, Sarma said that he would "die" but never speak bad things about his birthplace.
"To divert the issue of polluted Yamuna River, Arvind Kejriwal started a new story and said that the Haryana government is supplying 'poisoned' water to Delhi. If he can bad-mouth like this about his birthplace, what value do we have for him? I will die but never speak wrong about my birthplace. This statement by Arvind Kejriwal shows his mentality. I have seen many politicians but never saw such a politician who speaks wrong about this birthplace," Sarma said.
His reaction comes after Kejriwal on Monday levelled serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party, stating that the BJP-ruled Haryana government has "poisoned" the Yamuna water supplied to Delhi so that "people die" and the blame comes on the AAP.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday came down heavily on AAP chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his "poisonous water" remarks. He strongly criticised Arvind Kejriwal saying that he made "disgusting allegations" due to fear of losing elections and the country, people of Haryana and Delhi will never forgive and forget them for this "sin."
Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi slammed Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena for "failing to address the pressing issue of dangerously high ammonia levels in Delhi's water" and instead following orders from the BJP.
In a letter, LG Saxena had advised CM Atishi to rise above petty interests for the public welfare and peace while expressing his objections against the "poisoned water" remarks made by Kejriwal and her, labelling them as "false, misleading and fact less".
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has asked 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 to the complaints, especially on the factual and legal matrix along with evidentiary support thereof by 8:00 PM on January 29, 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)