New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday issued a fresh directive to Arvind Kejriwal, asking the Delhi Chief Minister to provide detailed evidence regarding his allegations that the Haryana government is poisoning the Yamuna River. The EC specifically requested clarification on the type, quantity, and method of poisoning, as well as the engineers and tools used by the Delhi Jal Board to detect the alleged contamination.

Kejriwal had on Wednesday responded to the Election Commission notice over his claim the Haryana government was "mixing poison" in Yamuna, and said raw water received from the BJP-ruled state in the recent past has been "highly contaminated and extremely poisonous" for human health.

In his 14-page response to the EC, he did not satisfy the Commission's request for specific evidence.

The EC has now given Kejriwal until 11 am on Friday to submit the required information. Should he fail to provide the details by the deadline, the Commission will be free to take appropriate action.

The Election Commission also asked the AAP convenor not to mix the issue of increased ammonia in Yamuna with his allegation of river poisoning and gave him a fresh opportunity to explain his charges against the Haryana government.

The poll body highlighted that the 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. it found no reason for anyone to dispute this noble position and will leave it to the competence and discretion of governments and agencies, abstaining from arbitration on long-standing water-sharing and pollution issues during the brief election period, particularly where agreements and legal directives from the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal already exist.

Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday responded to the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding his "poisoned water" remarks, in which he levelled serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana for "poisoning" the Yamuna water coming to Delhi.

Kejriwal stated that the statements made by him were in "furtherance of an imperative public duty."

"Statements were made in furtherance of an imperative public duty to highlight the severe toxicity and contamination of raw water received from Haryana, which presents an imminent and direct threat to public health," the letter signed by Kejriwal read.

Notably, both BJP and Congress have lodged complaints with the Election Commission against Kejriwal for making serious false allegations on Monday.

(with agency inputs)