NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah lashed out at
AAP
chief Arvind Kejriwal over his “BJP poisoning Yamuna” remark, saying the ex-Delhi CM should name the poison instead of doing “petty politics”.
Addressing a rally in Rohini on Thursday, Shah said Kejriwal made the claim “only to win elections” as he “sensed defeat” in the upcoming polls. Shah also asked Kejriwal to release a lab report that claimed poison in the Yamuna.
“I want to tell Arvind Kejriwal to stop lying to win elections. They say that the BJP people have mixed poison in the Yamuna water from Haryana to trouble the people of Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal, which poison has been mixed? In which laboratory did you get it tested? Name it. You are saying that you have stopped the poisoned water. When the Yamuna water stops flowing, the villages get flooded, but tell me, has any village in Delhi been flooded,” Shah said while hitting out at the AAP chief.
The Union minister, further stepping up his attack on the ruling AAP, said Kejriwal’s party had promised to close down liquor shops but instead they opened it near mandirs (temples) and schools.
“AAP promised to double the number of hospital rooms. Instead, they blocked Rs 5 lakh medical insurance coverage for Delhi residents under Ayushman. Help us win in Delhi, and we will ensure you receive Rs 10 lakh in medical coverage. AAP means lies and deceit. They promised to close down the liquor shops in the residential areas. Instead of closing down, Kejriwal ji, you opened liquor shops near mandirs and schools. You were part of liquor scams worth crores, and hence you were jailed,” Shah said.
The minister claimed that Kejriwal, who called himself a “kattar imandaar”, was involved in scam of thousands of crores.
“Kejriwal has claimed to be honest, referring to himself as “Kattar Imandaar.” However, over the years, he and his party have been involved in scams totalling thousands of crores. He was a part of the liquor scam. He was involved in a Rs 28400 crore scam related to the Jal Board. He was also part of a Rs 5,400 crore scam regarding ration distribution… The list of scams goes on and on,” said Amit Shah.
Earlier today, Kejriwal hit back at the Election Commission of India after they provided him with an opportunity to present evidence supporting his claims that the Yamuna river water was intentionally poisoned.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ECI requested Kejriwal to clarify his claims, specifying the type, quantity, and method of poisoning, as well as the role of Delhi Jal Board engineers in detecting the contamination. The Commission has set a deadline of 11 am on Friday for Kejriwal to submit the required details.
The ECI’s response comes after Kejriwal alleged that the elevated ammonia levels in the Yamuna were part of a deliberate poisoning plot by the BJP, which he equated to an act of war.
