BJP urges EC to bar Arvind Kejriwal from campaigning

New Delhi: Accusing AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal of making a dangerous statement with implications for India’s federal structure, the BJP on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to bar him from campaigning for his allegation that Haryana was poisoning the water of Yamuna. A BJP delegation, comprising Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Bhupender Yadav and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh met all three members of the EC, and requested them to ask the AAP leader to retract his charge and apologise for creating “panic” among people. They also demanded legal action against him.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said even Pakistan did not make such an allegation against India during wars, claiming that Kejriwal has made a low-level claim to hide his failures, and sensing his party’s impending defeat in the Delhi Assembly polls. How can a former chief minister within the country accuse another chief minister of an act which is somewhere “relatable to genocide”, Sitharaman told reporters. What Kejriwal has said is unfair, irresponsible and violative of the election code of conduct, she said.